


Suppression

by whatacartouchebag



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-06-12 18:09:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15345576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatacartouchebag/pseuds/whatacartouchebag
Summary: What happens when Incan bindings meet Egyptian magic? Well, there’s a little crossing of the streams that never should have happened, and amnesiac pharaohs find themselves flung into the future. Set after the events of Bonds Beyond Time, and takes place immediately afterwards in the world of 5Ds.





	1. Chapter 1

Blue sky stretched across the far reaches of the city, swathing the hustle and bustle in the warmth of spring. What little cloud there was that sat high above the buildings appeared as little more than a smear of white in the otherwise pristine view. It was as though the city planned to give its humblest welcome to the returning hero who had saved her, and spared nothing in making him feel at home and at ease once more.

The teen sat upon his crimson D-Wheel, overlooking the serenity of the city below. Even the recovering scars from months earlier lacked the sinister air they once held; the devastation scored into the very earth little more than a shadow against the lull of spring.

For now, it seemed, peace had descended to Neo Domino once again, and Yusei wished he could grasp this moment forever.

At the distant call of his name, he turned his gaze to the small group running towards him, their elation swelling at his safe return. He pushed his brief concerns aside for now; there was no need to dwell on something that could easily be prevented – and _had_ been prevented – through the strength of belief in the others around him.

It was to that end that he allowed his friends to surround him, peppering him with questions and congratulations. Without knowing what he had seen, without knowing the actual outcome or trials he and his newfound friends from the past had faced, the friends that surrounded him simply put their trust in Yusei. They knew it would not be misplaced, for the teen had never let them down, regardless of how long each had come to know him.

“Yusei, what was it like back then? Was the city as big as it is now?” Rua fired his excited questions at him, fists clenched tight as though he were about to burst. “Oh, did you get Stardust Dragon back? Did you get to meet the King of Duellists? What was he like?”

“Rua,” came the simple tone from his sister, and he glanced at her briefly, offering the riding duellist a faint laugh as he backed down.

“Sorry, but I just want to know everything! The city starts falling apart, then the Crimson Dragon comes down, and you shoot off like your tail’s on fire!” Rua continued, his voice swelling with excitement once more. Yusei gave a brief nod, the faint smile still sitting upon his lips.

“The Crimson Dragon’s call was too strong to be ignored,” he answered simply. He turned his gaze away from the boy, letting it settle on the city once more. “The city... it was just as large back then, as if nothing had changed. Differences were apparent, of course, but it felt the same.”

His fingers fell to the deck of cards tucked safely into their hold, retrieving the first one and turning it over, gazing at it fondly.

“Stardust is back where it should be,” he told them simply, memories of the duel still fresh in his mind. How often he had seen the power play over his dragon; Paradox pulling him back and forth across the field.

“Well that’s a relief,” Crow’s voice snuck into his thoughts. “We wouldn’t want anyone _else_ getting their hands on it.” As expected, the redhead’s words brought a sharp ‘tch’ from the tall blond with him.

“You’re still going on about _that_ trifling matter at a time like this? Get over yourself,” came the grumbled reply.

“ _Trifling_ matter? You stole Yusei’s D-Wheel _and_ Stardust!” Crow shot back, his ire rising sharply. It was an age old argument between the two, and Yusei seemed doomed to hear it repeat at least once a week between these two. Of course, both were too stubborn to give up on it entirely; Yusei knew this, but chose to remain silent. Despite the noise that continued to rise between them, it felt... good... to hear it once more. It was proof, in his own mind, that the future hadn’t altered for the worst.

As the two continued to bicker, Yusei felt a hand slip to his shoulder, and he glanced up at Aki. He could see the concern sitting in her brow and waited for her to speak, wondering if she’d give voice to it.

“Was it the same... as before?” she asked simply.

Yusei held her gaze as his mind spun over her words. Before? Did she mean-? Realisation suddenly settled in his gaze and he shook his head briefly, the light confusion flooding from his expression.

“No. The battle with Goodwin was different,” he explained before hesitating a moment, turning his gaze back to Stardust. “Thinking back on it now, though... there was more at stake with this duel. While it was only our current time in peril during the battle with Goodwin... just now, with Paradox, it was everything we’d ever known and would come to know. If we hadn’t of won, he would have irreparably altered history.”

Aki let his words settle on her, trying not to let the weight of them course through her too deeply. The way he said such things... It was as though he were talking about this being merely another duel; was this really how he treated all adversaries?

Her thoughts were shattered as Ruka suddenly stiffened next to Yusei, her golden eyes widening as dread began to cover her expression.

“Ruka, are you alright?”

The words had no sooner left the girl’s mouth when her arm began to burn with ferocity. Aki’s gaze shot down to her birthmark, glowing hotly under her sleeve, and saw as Yusei did the same with his own. The squabbling between two riding duellists ceased in an instant as their own marks began to sear and they turned to each other, confusion evident between them all.

“He’s... something’s wrong...” the young Signer breathed in dawning horror as her gaze stretched into the distance.

“What is? Who’s in trouble?” Yusei pressed, reaching a hand over to place it upon her shoulder. Her unseeing gaze lowered as she curled her hands close to her chest, wishing she could pull some sense from the feeling of dread hanging in her heart. It was as if she couldn’t even feel the burn of the birthmark on her arm.

“I don’t know... it’s just a feeling,” he murmured, wishing she could find the source of it. A face, a name, a memory; something to help whoever it was in trouble. “A... a strong feeling.” She closed her eyes, willing some sort of answer to come to her, but it was like smoke taken upon the breeze.

Yusei watched her for a moment, his concern from earlier returning to shadow his thoughts. Had something during the duel with Paradox gone awry? Why would the Crimson Dragon send him back if there was still danger surrounding them?

He glanced up at his two childhood friends, their eyes drifting up from the youngest Signer to meet his gaze. If anything, they had even less of a clue than Ruka did; out of all of them, Yusei was the best to answer anything, and he was just as lost as they were.

Despite the sudden and dire warning that surrounded them, there was no indication of where to proceed.

“We keep our eyes peeled,” the teen found himself saying, wanting to give the others some grounding. He lowered his hand from the girl’s shoulder, feeling the lull in heat along his arm. “If we ask Mikage and Ushio to watch for any strange activity, that will cover most of the city. For everything else, we simply wait and see, and stay alert. There’s little else we can do for now.”

Ruka gave a brief nod, drawing a steadying breath to centre herself once more. Tendrils of stress and dread began to unwind from her stomach, and she lowered her arms to her side once more, smiling back up at the riding duellist. The fleeting warning worried her, but she knew she could not linger on it without worrying the others. She only wished she could have helped by finding a face or a name to aid them all.

“I understand. Thank you, Yusei,” she intoned softly. “I didn’t mean to worry you all after what’s just happened.”

“Hey now, I think we like a little warning given our past record,” Crow replied with a smile, flashing her a thumbs up. “Let’s head home and catch up on what we missed, deal?”

The smiles between them began to return, the conversation light as they made their way back to Poppo Time, yet there was little each of them could do to ease the strange stirrings in their heart. Ruka’s sudden warning had come out of nowhere, and it left each of them wondering about things yet to pass. Only Yusei had any idea as to what might happen; the other Signers and Rua utterly clueless.

Even as the day wound on, and the teen recounted all that had happened with his duel against Paradox, it did little to ease their concerns. If something had happened in the past, had it irreparably altered their future? The city had been saved, but they all had to wonder – at what cost, and for how long?

Twilight settled upon Neo Domino, the streetlights winking on one by one as the city continued to swell with life into the night; bright neon signs and holographic displays chasing away the dark. It seemed a city without pause at most moments. Progress never eluded her, and her people walked long into the night.

At her heart, sat the Public Security Maintenance Bureau; a shining monument to the force of justice and peace within the city. It towered over the smaller buildings that sat adjacent to it, dwarfing them with its height. Traffic hardly paused around these streets, for it was the very centre of the business district; even the alleyways that tucked between these smaller buildings were full of life.

The well-being of that life was currently undecided, as a man staggered from the back of the dark niche. Boots scuffed the ground unevenly as he forced his weary body to stay upright. One hand pressed to his forehead in a vain attempt to clear the throbbing behind his bleary eyes, his palm tingling with heat. As he made his way to the mouth of the alley, the bright lights about him forced him to wince, shielding his eyes as he stepped dazedly across the concrete.

What he saw about him in the haze of bright lights was enough to pull a faint draw of breath into his lungs, and he continued his path forward, crimson eyes drinking in the bustling world about him.

In the light of the street, the messy dark hair he kept revealed itself to be a two-tone of deep magenta and black, with a shock of golden yellow at the fore. For as wild as the man’s hairstyle was, it seemed particularly mussed and unkempt. Dirt scuffed his clothes, as though he’d taken a heavy fall of the ground and he suddenly stumbled over his own feet.

He couldn’t stop the soft gasp that pulled from him as he staggered forward, vaguely hearing a soft cry of shock behind him as he lurched onto the street. There was an immediate screech of tires mingling with a woman’s scream, and he could only turn hazy crimson eyes to the source of it before the car struck him.

The man’s feet were pulled from under him as he slammed into the bonnet of the car, rolling hard into the windscreen with enough force to shatter it. At the sudden change of velocity, the car finally coming to a sharp stop, he was vaulted off and landed heavily on the asphalt, rolling to a stop some distance away. From the sidewalk, voices and cries of surprise rang out but as he lay on his back, staring up at the starless sky, the man could hardly hear them.

His earlier pain forgotten as fresh agony tore through him, red eyes clenching tight for a moment as his jaw as he fought back the cry sitting on his tongue. A hand dragged its way across his chest, holding his left arm as it throbbed deep in the muscle; warm, slick blood sitting bright on the skin. He felt hands on his shoulders and he couldn’t stop the pained gasp that tore from him, eyes snapping open once more. The sky above was a blur of bright lights and congealing noises as his heart thudded in his ears, pain pounding at his senses.

Dark motes danced in his vision, and the faces and yelling voices about him bleeding away until he could no longer see nor hear them. He knew he should force his body to stay awake, but he was unable to find the will to fight it; his body finally slipping into unconsciousness.

*** 

The first streaks of sunlight licked along the horizon, their warm hues starting to chase through the sky as the sleeping figure began to stir. Under a lump of blankets, their owner began to shift about, ushering a quiet breath as he rolled towards the window. Fingers curled over the hem of his many blankets, pulling them down until deep blue eyes were able to peer into the outside world, watching the glow on the horizon as his mind methodically pulled into gear.

Yusei felt a faint smile want to tug at his lips at the sight, but it wouldn’t stay. Far too much weighed on his mind, and a listless night of sleeplessness did little to help. He gave a faint sigh of breath, eyes fluttering closed for a moment.

There were things he could only put aside for now, and not dwell upon, for there was much to do and the day had just begun.

He pushed back the covers and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, reaching for his boots and tugging them over stocking feet. Despite the warmth that seeped through the days, early dawn still held the bite of autumn, and it was enough to chase the cold into exposed toes. Working with his hands on cold, hard metal did nothing to help his fingers, either, but he knew a hot cup of coffee would be there to aid him. Once on his feet, Yusei reached for his jacket and tugged it on as he walked from his room. He hesitated in his steps as the scent of freshly brewed coffee assaulted him, and he vaguely wondered who it was that had beaten him to the kitchen. No matter his curiosity, the heavenly smell still wrought the faint groan from him as he reached for the ladder.

Sliding down the ladder with grace far unsuited to the early hour, Yusei was surprised to see Bruno standing in the small kitchen. Violet eyes glanced up at the new arrival, and the taller man smiled at him.

“You certainly don’t like to sleep in, regardless of what happens,” he told him with light humour. Yusei answered with a faint smile of his own, reaching for a tall cupboard and extracting a mug.

“You should know by now that I prefer early starts,” was all he said, eyes all but devouring the steaming pot of coffee. Jack may have his favourite blend for any time of the day, but Yusei knew there was nothing that could beat that first cup of freshly brewed coffee, no matter where it came from. Bruno chuckled at his automatic movements and slid the jar of sugar over to the teen; Yusei could only smile inwardly at this. The taller man was one of the few that knew his preferences when it came to coffee, and he snuck a small spoonful into his mug.

“I suppose it’s a little too early to ask if you’ve had any ideas about our new engine yet,” Bruno’s voice crept through the still air.

Yusei gave a faint murmur of sound as he stirred his coffee. “No, it’s fine. I still feel like there’s something obvious we’re missing,” he tapped the spoon on the rim of the mug, sucking the last little drop from it before washing it clean. “I know if we increase the power outlays, the program will make use of the extra speed, but in doing so, the vibration build up will simply cause the engine housing to fall apart,” he paused in his thoughts, taking a short draught of his coffee and relishing the taste. “If there were a way to make use of that extra speed without altering the booster output, but also by ensuring the safety of the housing, we’d be on our way to improving it drastically.”

Bruno nodded, mulling over the words in his head as they walked down the stairs. “Well, best get to it. The day is already wearing away,” he told him brightly. Yusei gave a soft affirmative, steaming mug warming his hands as they made their way to their D-Wheels.

The morning wound on, the only sounds between the two being idle conversation and the soft clicking of keys as fingers flew over keyboards. Occasionally, one of them would move to the test D-Wheel they had assembled in order to make some physical changes, and it wasn’t long before sunlight was streaming in through the windows high above them.

A lingering yawn from upstairs caught their attention, and Yusei glanced up from his work to see Crow watching them from the stairs, a slice of toast in his mouth. He gave the two a lax wave with a second slice of toast as he headed down.

“Che, why am I not surprised,” he mumbled around his mouthful, extracting his breakfast before swallowing properly.

“Don’t forget we’re on a time limit, Crow,” Yusei replied, eyes drifting back to his work.

“If we want to get this new engine finished in time for the WRGP, we have to be diligent about it,” Bruno added. He turned to his computer for a moment, fingers flying over the keys as a new screen popped up. “Ah, but speaking of; here, I already added a few new changes to Blackbird for you. It may not be the new engine, but it’ll run a little cleaner from now on.”

The redhead walked over to inspect the screen, noting the new specs of his D-Wheel. He gave an interested ‘oh’ and took another bite of his toast, munching noisily as he compared it to what it used to be, eyebrows raising at the subtle changes.

“Oh, so tightening the booster here will increase the output by reducing the vibration of the overall chassis,” he murmured. “That’s not bad at all. It’ll reduce the wear and tear that Black Bird will receive over time, right?”

“That’s right. You can thank Yusei for the idea; his thoughts for the new engine can safely be applied to your existing D-Wheels,” Bruno explained. Yusei frowned from where he knelt, hands still buried deep within the machine.

“Though we’re still nowhere closer to the new engine than we were yesterday,” he added, as if thinking out loud to himself.

“Geez, lighten up already,” Crow replied with a wry smile, leaning against the desk. “Yesterday was only yesterday. We still have months to go before the WRGP. With what you two have already done for our D-Wheels, I’m sure you’ll come up with something in that time. Until then, just keep looking forward.”

Yusei stared back at his friend with a faint smile, nodding his thanks. The redhead gave him a bright grin and a thumbs up; his friend might be mechanically gifted and an incredible engineer, but Crow knew he needed that the teen himself needed a little realignment from time to time.

“Though ah, if you guys are done with Blackbird, I need to finish up here and start my run for the day,” he added, stuffing the remainder of his first slice of toast into his mouth. Bruno nodded to him, waving him off.

“She’s all yours. We’ll even clean her down for you before you go, too,” he replied. Crow just laughed at that, biting into his last slice of breakfast as he returned upstairs. Bruno’s smile faltered and he turned to Yusei, who had moved onto his own D-Wheel. “I would’ve thought he’d like that idea,” he said, a little mystified at being brushed off by the redhead.

“You know how well Crow takes care of Blackbird,” the teen answered him, not looking up from his work as fingers busied themselves with the inside of his D-Wheel. “For anyone else to say they’re going to clean it, well... he’s thankful, but rest assured he’s going to be cleaning it down at the end of the day regardless.”

“Ah, that’s true,” the taller man replied with an easy smile. “I forgot how much he cares for his D-Wheel. It’s possibly even more than what you do,” he added with a light chuckle.

Yusei glanced back at him for a moment, faint surprise crossing his expression at the cheeky admission before blue eyes ran the length of his own vehicle. He matched the man’s soft chuckle as he reached for a rag to wipe his hands.

“I suppose that is true,” he said simply. He got to his feet, still rubbing the cloth across his hands. “Would you like something to eat? I’m going to make some lunch.” Bruno waved him off easily.

“I’m fine for now, thank you. I just know if I walk away from this now, I’ll lose my place.”

The dark haired teen chuckled. “That sounds far too much like myself. Alright, I’ll be back soon.”

***

The lone occupant of the clean, white bed gave a faint murmur of breath, the sound slipping past a dry throat and caught by the nurse hovering nearby. She turned to the man who had begun to stir, watching him for a moment, before quickly walking to the door and pressing a series of buttons on the holopad there.

Hazy crimson eyes parted, lids heavy as they tried to make sense of the ceiling above him. It was an effort to keep his eyes in focus for a moment, let alone work up the gumption to move, and he gave a quiet groan.

“Try not to shift around too much,” the nurse replied as she appeared next to the man once more. “How do you feel?” she asked softly.

Those eyes glanced over to her, taking in her appearance and noting the uniform she wore. Clean and simple, sterile, just like the room he found himself in. It was almost like-

“... a... h-hospital?” he croaked, feeling his throat catch for a moment and he swallowed the feeling down. The nurse nodded, smiling warmly at him, tucking some of that wild golden fringe away from his eyes.

“That’s right. Do you remember how you got here?” she asked, blue eyes taking in his appearance as she scrutinised his awakening. The man hesitated for a moment, a frown creasing on his brow as he began to gather his thoughts like so many pages scattered on the wind.

“... I remember... it was afternoon...” he began softly. “... there... there was a duel... then... oh!” his eyes suddenly widened as if a dire realisation struck him. The duel with Paradox! He and his newfound friends had won the duel, ensuring the safety of the future before they all parted ways. Afterwards... afterwards... Thoughts halted in his mind like a rusted gear as his right palm began to tingle, trying to clutch at something to give him a clue as to how he arrived at this point.

“Ah, so you’re a duellist!” the nurse broke into his thoughts with a smile, ignorant of his plight. “What’s your favourite card?”

The man was a little distracted at the question as he halted his quest to remember what had happened after the duel. It was something he could look into later, considering the dull ache that ran through his entire body.

“... Black Magician...” came the quiet answer, drawing a faint murmur of surprise from the nurse as her eyebrows went up.

“Now there’s a classic spellcaster,” she replied. “Alright, so going back a question; do you remember how you got here?”

The man could only stare back at her odd remark about his card choice. A classic? Surely because it was so uncommon, certainly, but she seemed so genuinely surprised about his selection.

“... I- yes... it was later... night time, and I think I... wandered into the street...” he trailed off for a moment, crimson eyes losing their focus a little as he attempted to gather his thoughts. While there was a rather foggy patch in his memories, he certainly remember one event in particular. “... I was... hit by a car... wasn’t I..?”

“That’s right. It left a nasty bump on your head and a decent break to your left arm, too. Any serious pain anywhere?” the woman asked, watching him carefully. He gave a faint shake of his head, smiling back at her, despite the dull throbbing in his ears at the move.

“... a little sore, but... otherwise alright,” he replied. “... ah, a little thirsty, however...” came the quiet addition, wringing the soft laugh from the nurse.

“Of course. Here, let me help you sit up and I’ll pour you a glass,” she said, reaching for a small panel of buttons at the side of the bed. “Now just relax while it moves, and let me know if it starts to hurt anywhere.” At her words, the bed began to gently prop the man upright, giving him a light startle, but nothing more. He watched in wonder as he was soon sitting upright, wondering when the hospital had brought in this kind of technology.

He was momentarily distracted, however, when his field of view changed, and he saw a simple bandage and brace about his left arm. There were a few patches across the back of his right hand, and considering what brought him to the hospital, he could only guess as to the rest of his body. A glass of water appeared in his field of view, and he wrapped his fingers about it, nodding his thanks to her.

“Just a little; try not to rush it,” she intoned simply. “If you’re wondering about your arm, unfortunately there was a little too much swelling about the bone for them to set it straight away, so the doctor will reassess you this time tomorrow and by then, it should be alright to finish the job.” The nurse’s smile brightened as she watched him drink a little, pleased he was listening to her advice. “There’s a few other scrapes and bumps, which we’ve treated for you, but thankfully, nothing that needed stitches.”

Her words reminded him so much of another girl with blue eyes he knew; gentle and caring, but affirmative all the same. He began to wonder if the others knew he was here, or even if they knew what had happened, and he quelled the beginnings of that heavy concern with a small sip of water. It slipped down his parched throat like so much mana and he gave a relieved sigh at the sensation.

“Can you tell me your name?” came the sudden question, the nurse going back to... typing... something on a strange holographic clipboard before her. She paused when there was no reply, and she saw him staring at the holoboard in her hands. With faint concern at his reaction, she closed the device down, tucking the pen-like apparatus into her breast pocket. His eyes lingered on the edge of the device before something else caught his gaze, and he turned his head fully to stare at the letters emblazoned on her uniform.

NDCH.

His mind suddenly raced as the frown became apparent on his brow. NDCH? Shouldn’t it simply be the initials for Domino City Hospital? He knew of no other hospitals in the city, so what could the N stand for? Almost as soon as his mind asked the question, it grabbed onto the answer with both hands, hurling his thoughts back to the previous day.

_And to do so, you plan on destroying Neo Domino City?_

The voice rang through his memories as clear as a bell and a black pit of dread sat thick in his stomach, like a stone. Neo Domino City. Not the mere Domino City he knew. H-How had... He took another swig from his glass, letting the action disguise his sudden lack of voice as his right palm continued to tingle.

There couldn’t be any other explanation as to those initials. The momentary shock that course through him gave way to his thoughts and he tried in vain to understand how something like this could have happened. From what he knew, the man he had met in his own time had travelled _back_ to meet him; there was no way he had gone _forward_ with him. Not with the way it had been explained to him. He was simply at a loss to rationalise how he had ended up in _this_ city, and not his own.

The man came out of his daze, knowing he’d spent far too much time locked in his racing thoughts. “Sorry, I... it’s-” he faltered at the name on his lips. No, if this really were a different city to the one he knew, then it was highly likely that his borrowed name would be highly suspicious here.

“Atem... My name is... Atem,” he answered softly. She gave a sound of approval at the answer, a warm smile forming on her lips.

“Well then, Atem, do you have a last name to go with that?” she asked, taking his near empty glass and placing it on the bedside table. He returned her warm smile, hoping to mask the ignition of that sudden panic that coursed through him once more. A surname that didn’t have implications in this era... How was he to know what became of those he knew? Who was well known in this time and who was not?

“Muran,” Atem offered suddenly through a dry throat, plucking the name from a memory so deep, not even his _own_ era’s history books knew of it. At the very least, it was almost as if he were keeping the same name. He would have to thank Yugi’s grandfather for it later, even if the old man would have no idea what he was talking about. “My apologies... I feel a little cotton-headed still.” The nurse gave a quietly amused sound and nodded her approval.

“That’s understandable, after all, you did take quite a hit,” she told him brightly. “Alright Atem, I’m going to get the doctor to come and have a look at you. Sit tight for a little while, and we’ll be back before you know it, but if there’s any trouble in the meantime, just press the little red button to your right.”

“I shall, thank you,” he replied simply, watching her go before his smile faltered. Crimson eyes turned to the window, watching the skyline with renewed interest as his hands lay in his lap.

So this was Neo Domino City.

Yusei Fudo’s world.

He had long since resigned himself to the fate of a world that was no longer his, but during that time, he had forged friendships that were strong and true. He had begun his pseudo reincarnation with no memory of the past, and it was only in chasing his lost memories, that he regained a wealth of knowledge of a life long ago.

His brow creased as he stared down the sun, frustration welling in his eyes.

Was he bound to spend another life locked in a time that wasn’t his, or was this the cause of some other calamity? What had become of the time he’d left behind? His friends? Yugi? Anzu? Had something in the duel with Paradox gone horribly awry, so as to fling him into this era?

Atem stilled his rampant thoughts as he closed his eyes. No, it wouldn’t do to simply let his worries run amok. He needed answers, and knew he would never find any in this building. There was only one place – or person – he could gain any from now.

For the moment, he simply had to sit and wait until that nurse and her doctor returned, then he could make his request.


	2. Chapter 2

The roar of the engine blasted through the air, its raging scream deafening to all who walked past the old clock store outside, but to one young man astride the ear-shattering level of noise, it was everything he was hoping for. As it died down, he revved it harshly once more from where he sat atop his D-Wheel. The sound screamed through the air as he pulsed the engine up and down, eyes closing as he listened intently through the sound for something very specific in the underlying tones.

It was only after a short moment of the sporadic roar of the engine that he frowned to himself, and he withdrew his hand from the throttle, fingers reaching for a nearby keyboard and pulling it into his lap. He sent a few commands into the keys, watching the screen of his D-Wheel give him the information he needed in a rapid-fire scroll of text, and he murmured softly to himself as numbers whirled past the screen.

He suddenly paused the sequence and a finger reached forward, tracing the line of numbers that caught his eye and leaving a faint smudge of oil there.

“That’s not right…” he murmured to himself, and returned to the keyboard with both hands, fingers flying across the keys as he recoded the ill piece of text.

He was lost in his own little world as he returned to the schematics and information buried deep in his mind, adjusting the values of his D-Wheel’s programming to suit his needs. Time slipped past him as he eventually placed the keyboard to the side and grasped the throttle once more.

“Hey Yu-”

Crow’s voice was lost to the D-Wheel’s sudden roar of life, and the redhead slammed his hands over his ears in response. Grimacing, he walked over to the duellist who should have been stone deaf by now and nudged his leg with a foot. Yusei’s eyes jerked up to meet the other’s in shock, and the D-Wheel whirred to silence.

“Crow! Sorry, I was distracted,” he said hurriedly. “What’s up?”

The redhead in question was lightly twisting a little finger in his ear, hoping the ringing would stop soon.

“There’s a call for you. It’s Ushio and he says it’s important,” he jabbed a finger to the portable handset next to the teen’s keyboard and headed to the little storage trolley in the far corner of the room. “He’s on line one,” he added, and went about borrowing one of Jack’s cup noodle packets.

Yusei hesitated for a moment before glancing down at the phone and flicking it on, bringing it to his ear.

“Ushio.”

“Yusei, glad I caught you,” the officer began, and the teen could already tell from the muted tone of his voice that this would not be a conversation to ignore. “It’s about that request you gave us yesterday.”

Yusei straightened lightly in his seat and Crow caught the movement as he sat his now steaming tub of cup noodles down to brew. Whatever they were discussing was enough to grab his friend’s attention, which was more than enough to pique his own interest.

“Has something come up?” the mechanic asked lightly.

“You could say that. Look, you remember the circumstances when we brought Bruno to your attention?” he began, and the teen gave a simple murmur of sound in reply, already wondering if this would turning into another impromptu babysitting case for the team. “Well, not only did we find this ‘strange activity’ you’ve been chasing, but he’s even asking for you by name.”

“What? ‘He?’” Yusei asked, brow furrowing in confusion. His mind suddenly hit rewind, to the moment of Ruka’s warning, and he realised she did in fact mention a ‘he’ at the time. She could help with nothing else, but…

“He was brought into the Neo Domino City Hospital as a John Doe last night, but now he’s awake, he says his name’s Atem Muran. So far, we’ve found nothing in our records about him under that name – _just_ like Bruno. He’s also asked us to pass a message on to you,” the officer continued, and Yusei allowed him time to relay the message. “Looks like I’ll be allowing you to duel me a little earlier than expected.”

When the words came to an end, Yusei waited for a moment, hoping to hear more in order to reveal something else about this mysterious Atem person. He ran the message through his mind once more, wondering just what they meant.

It struck him like a bolt of lightning.

His eyes widened as he drew a sharp breath, lips parting in silent shock as fingers tightened about the phone. Yusei heard the questioning call of his name from both the officer and his friend across the room and he shook his head lightly at Crow.

“I… It’s fine,” he replied shortly to relieve both of them. He jerked himself from his surprise as he reached down to pull blindly at the diagnostic cables still plugged into his D-Wheel. “Is he still at the Hospital? Is he alright?” He slid off the seat, tucking the phone into his shoulder as he used both hands to replace open panels as quick as he dared. There was no way! It _couldn’t_ be him!

“Yeah, but he’s still getting checked over, last I heard. Had a pretty serious run-in with a car,” Ushio continued, puzzled as to the teen’s reaction. In the end, he chalked it up to a long lost friend from Satellite or something.

The words from Ushio caused Yusei to still and he felt his blood run cold. “What?”

“He’s as well as can be expected, Yusei,” the officer placated him as best as he could. “Just don’t break any speed limits getting over here.” With those words, he cut the line, and Yusei tossed it onto the nearby desk, reaching for his jacket that lay across the top of his D-Wheel.

“So… want to tell me what that was all about?” Crow ventured gently as he wandered over to the teen. Yusei gave a brief shake of his head as he tugged his jacket on, grabbing his helmet and doing the same.

“Remember last night, how I mentioned that duel against Paradox?” he replied, sliding into his seat and pulling the throttle arm down. Crow nodded in idle reply before he startled suddenly.

“You’re not going to tell me he somehow made his way back _here_ , right?” he asked hurriedly, eyes widening. Yusei smiled at him, which was enough to _really_ set the teen on edge.

“No, he hasn’t,” came the reply as he brought his D-Wheel to life. “However, Jack’s going to get his duelling wish.”

Without another word, Yusei revved the engine and Crow was forced to take a hasty step back as his friend tore out of the workshop. The redhead watched him go, hearing the rapidly diminishing sounds of the D-Wheel as it streaked away. Grey eyes blinked at the exit in surprise, the owner trying to piece together Yusei’s last words to him.

“Jack’s… duelling wish?”

***

The red D-Wheel flew across the streets of Neo Domino, the owner only vaguely remembering Ushio’s warning to him. It was certainly vastly sooner than he expected, but waiting for him at his destination was someone he thought he’d never have the opportunity to meet once again.

His hand curled tightly about the throttle as he eased into a sharp corner, thoughts running away with the wind.

How had Yugi ended up in his era? Had something gone horribly wrong with his journey to the past so as to pull him forward like this? Blue eyes narrowed behind his visor. It was only the beginnings of the questions that plagued him, and try as he might, he simply couldn’t quell his thoughts.

Why had he chosen the name Atem Muran? Yet almost as soon as the query entered his thoughts, he could understand the reasoning behind it; anyone who knew of the Duel Monsters game would know his real name. There was no way he could use it without causing a lot of eyebrows to raise, at the very least.

Yusei drew his bottom lip between his teeth, worrying it lightly. He knew the legend of the Nameless Pharaoh; was that… where his chosen name in this era came from?

Atem Muran.

He rolled the name about in his mind, sounding it out voicelessly. Was it the true name of the pharaoh that inhabited the duellist?

The Signer began to slow down as he drew closer to the centre of the city, knowing that some of his thoughts were getting ahead of himself. Knowing _of_ the legend was one thing, but knowing all the true details was something that eluded him, even so far into the future. There was also a good chance that his friend from the past had no clue as to how he _got_ to the future either.

Used to strange occurrences he might be, but Yusei still liked to see facts before him, despite his ability to favour faith.

He began to gear down as he drew into the hospital carpark, letting the Momentum in his engine slow him down as he found a nearby parking space. Despite the warmth that ran through the air, he still kept his jacket on as he walked hurriedly to the building’s entrance. He was as concerned with the temperature as he was about what he had for breakfast that morning, which was to say, not at all. There were far more pressing matters weighing on his mind.

A tall man waved to him from inside the glass doors, and he strode over to Ushio, who could only smirk at him.

“Impressive. I thought you would have been here earlier,” he teased him lightly. Yusei returned the smirk and began to follow the man into the depths of the building.

“I didn’t want to be caught breaking the law,” he replied smoothly.

Ushio gave a short laugh as they headed into an elevator, the man selecting a floor near the roof. At his side, Yusei watched the numbers slowly tick upwards on the display, letting the comfortable silence envelope the two of them. The officer could tell, however, that the teen was leaving something left unsaid; a nervous tension rising from him, even if the duellist was unaware of the fact. Dark eyes flinted back from his form, watching the steadily climbing number also.

“I meant what I said earlier, Yusei,” the quiet voice brought the teen from his thoughts, and blue eyes stared up at the man. “I don’t know who this guy is to you, but he’s resilient. From a few eyewitness reports, he seemed to be pretty out of it _before_ the car crash. Even after he woke up, the only real damage they could find was a broken arm.”

Yusei could only stare at him in vague wonder, giving a faint nod in reply. He knew how strong the duellist was during the short time he had met him; brushing off some of those physical attacks from Paradox was nothing to sneeze at. He could only recall simple stories of the King of Games’ exploits during his own time, and they were usually somewhat vague when it came to the brutal details. To a degree.

Blue eyes narrowed slightly in thought. Perhaps he really was as durable as they made him out to be in those legends.

“Still, if he’s got a friend like you, there must be something good about him,” Ushio continued, folding his arms across his chest.

The teen lowered his eyes to the door before them. If only Ushio knew the truth, then he wouldn’t speak his words so lightly… Yusei knew that was the biggest problem with Yu- Atem’s sudden appearance, though.

Blue eyes closed briefly; the name change he would have to remember, lest he blurt the duellist’s former name in public, and questions began to rise.

If people knew the truth about who he really was, then who knows what kind of damage it could cause to history. Who knew what kind of damage was already occurring due to his appearance here? Yusei let out a silent ‘tch’ as the doors opened; it was far from hurting his head, but he really was starting to wonder why the Crimson Dragon chose him to be the vessel for ferrying people to and fro in time.

Even if this time it was unintentional, or perhaps not even his doing.

Ushio led the two of them down a long corridor, the sunlight streaming in through adjacent windows. As they rounded a corner, the officer came to a stop at a nearby door, opening it and stopping at the threshold.

At the intrusion, the sole occupant of the bed glanced up at him with crimson eyes, nodding his hello.

“Officer, it’s good to see you again,” came that smooth voice, and from behind the taller man, Yusei felt the stone in his stomach turn to a writhing whirl of snakes. It was that exact same voice from before; just as he recalled and thought he’d never hear again.

“Enough with that title, I told you to call me Ushio,” he waved the teen off, hovering within the doorway to the sterile room.

Atem laughed off the comment, eyes ducking away for a moment to the rubik’s cube on his lap. Oh, if only the man knew his aversion as to why he never would.

“I followed through on that message you gave me,” the taller man intoned, stepping through to let his companion pass. Atem followed his line of sight, eyes settling on the teen he’d hoped to see, unable to keep the faint smile from forming on his expression. Yusei could do little else but stare back at him, taking in his battered form as concern flooded his every pore.

Before he could utter a word from parted lips, Atem had chuckled softly at his expression.

“It’s worse than it looks,” he told him simply. “It’s not the first time we’ve found each other in a paradox of sorts, is it?” Yusei blinked back at the subtle joke, and he couldn’t help the smile the curled at the corners of his mouth. He shook his head lightly and turned to the officer still waiting with them.

“Would you mind if we caught up? It’s been a little while,” he asked simply, and Ushio gave him a one-shouldered shrug.

“Not at all, there’s still a few things I need to tie up on this end before heading back to the Bureau. Let me know if you need anything else looked at,” came the reply, and he waved his goodbye to the teen on the bed.

Yusei watched him go for a moment, eyes lingering on the retreating man’s form before turning back to the teen on the bed. His gaze immediately dropped to the cube on his lap, the smile settling in blue depths.

“I’m glad to see you live up to your title,” he said simply. Atem glanced down at his hands as he collected the cube, turning it over thoughtfully.

“Not as glad as I am that these are still around in your era,” he countered easily, swivelling a few sides this way and that. The yellow side was nearly complete, and he had only a few squares remaining on both blue and red. “The doctor was quite happy for me to use it. Something about keeping my fingers active and the muscle strong as my arm heals.”

The mechanic walked over to the bed, sitting at the edge of it and nodding briefly. “You learn to listen to their advice about that after a while,” he offered simply, eyes following the movement of the cube. Atem could only wonder if such a response came from years of riding a motorcycle and learning how to fall properly. At the very least, he certainly rode well enough now, from what he saw. He’d certainly have to ask more about the duel disk installed in it, though…

Yusei closed his eyes, a light frown crossing his brow as he gave a quiet sigh. Atem caught the minute sound, glancing back up at the teen and stilling his hands.

“Yusei?” came the simple question of his name.

Blue eyes opened once more, locked back upon the rubik’s cube. “There’s… a lot of questions I need to ask, but… I don’t know if you can help me or not,” he started softly. Atem heard the hesitation in his voice, knowing it was something he’d never heard from him before, and placed the simple puzzle to one side.

“You aren’t the only one, believe me,” he replied. “I’ll do my best to help you out, but I suppose we could both start with the largest question of all.”

“How did you get here,” Yusei finished for him, earning a brief nod from the teen. He drew his gaze up to the window, staring out at the sun as it stretched across the sky. “It’s something I’ve been asking myself ever since I found out you were here. The power that called me to your era – the Crimson Dragon – I’m not sure if it’s because of that or not. It’s the only thing I can think of, unless something went seriously wrong during the duel with Paradox, or his resultant death.”

He reached up, placing a hand to the side of his neck and rubbing idly. “But if either were the case, then why isn’t Judai here? Why only you?” His frown deepened, frustration welling within him once more as the answers wouldn’t come.

Atem watched him for a moment, letting the mechanic’s mind tick over like a well oiled machine. Probing possibilities and attempting to forge ahead with new theories; he was certain there were at least a hundred things flinging through his mind at once, given that perturbed expression.

“I’m not sure, but I do know one thing,” he began, pulling Yusei’s attention back to the present. “While I still had my deck with me, there was something that was not. I’ve never been without it, and I shouldn’t be able to exist without it.”

Yusei stared back at him as he processed what he’d just heard; rewinding over everything he knew about the duellist both from research and meeting him. Something he was without… The penny suddenly dropped, as did his gaze, and blue eyes fell to his chest, noting the distinct lack of the Puzzle. Atem nodded at his surprise, fingers brushing along his chest where the familiar item should be laying, almost as if feeling for where it once was.

“I’m bound to it, as I’m sure you know, but more importantly than that,” his eyes narrowed, mirroring the distraught expression of his friend earlier. “I cannot feel the presence of my other self at all. There’s not even a void in his absence. Simply… my own mind.” His fingers tightened briefly over his chest, frustrated concern flushing through him, and Yusei could offer little in support. His comparison to that of Atem’s was weak, as he thought about it; the loss of Stardust Dragon felt like a lifetime ago, and he only knew of the flood of relief as it was returned to him.

When thinking on it, the loss of a mere Duel Monsters card – Signer Dragon or no – was nothing compared to the other half of your soul.

He drew his hand away from his neck, reaching forward to cover Atem’s hand with his own as a faint smile found his lips.

“I know neither of us really have any answers, but it’s still too early to set anything in stone,” he began softly. “We can work through this. Together.”

Atem stared back at him evenly, crimson eyes never wavering away from him, until the smile took form on his expression once more. He gave a brief nod, asserting Yusei’s words in his own mind.

“Agreed. There’s no point chasing our tails until we know more,” his smile only grew as he drew that hand slowly away from his chest, holding the teen’s fingers loosely in his own. “Thank you, Yusei. Frustrating as it might be to wait, for now, it’s all we can do.”

The mechanic offered him a brief nod as he slowly withdrew his hand. At the simple movement, Atem’s eyes ducked to follow it, curiosity sitting in their depths. It was strange, but as Yusei moved away, he could have sworn his hand started tingling in response; that light pins and needles sensation he’d been feeling on and off ever since arriving here.

“Could you… do that again?” he murmured without thinking.

Yusei stared back at him, brows rising in surprise at the request. There was a moment of pause as he stared down at the teen’s hand, wondering where such a question had come from, but saw no real reason to deny him. He thought little of the action as he clasped his hand with Atem’s once more, merely questioning what he was searching for.

Those crimson eyes watched their joined hands, senses wrapped about them as he searched for that familiar feeling once more, feeling nothing else in the room save for their simple connection. He drew a soft breath as it began anew in his palm, surprise covering his expression.

“Are you alright?”

Yusei’s voice slipped into his thoughts and crimson eyes drew up to meet his briefly. They dipped back to their hands, a faint crease running through his brow.

“I’m not sure,” he began softly. “This may sound odd but… since I found myself here, I’ve had the strangest sensation in my hand.”

“Not nerve damage, I hope,” Yusei offered. Atem chuckled softly.

“No, nothing like that; it happened before the accident,” he trailed off, giving thought to the times when he’d felt it flare up. “Of the times I know it’s happened… Just now, for one, as you first clasped my hand. When I first woke up here, and recalled the duel with Paradox.” Crimson eyes narrowed faintly, their owner deep in thought. “I’m certain it occurred when I first arrived here, though I was a little hazy back then.”

Yusei watched him carefully, his analytical mind stirring into movement once more. Blue eyes ducked to their hands and he gestured idly to them with his free one.

“May I?” he asked, receiving an almost instant nod at his question. The mechanic turned Atem’s hand, palm up, on his free hand, inspecting the skin along his entire arm for any such injury or something else the staff may have missed. He ran the facts through his mind as he went; it had only occurred since Atem’s arrival, coinciding with a few various topics that seemed to have some unclear connection to one another. His eyes narrowed faintly as the duellist’s hand still rested in his own.

“Do you recall touching anything strange since first arriving here? Or even in your own era?” Atem shook his head at the question.

“Nothing at all since the three of us parted ways.”

Yusei mulled over that for a moment, gaze ducking away. The three of them… His eyes widened briefly in realisation and he drew both hands back, already tugging his right glove off. Atem watched his reaction curiously, the silent question in his gaze.

“I might have a theory,” the mechanic blurted suddenly, dropping his glove to his lap and hoisting his jacket sleeve to his elbow, exposing the dark Signer mark on his arm. Crimson eyes stared at it curiously, seeing it properly for the first time; not as some blazing icon through his clothing in the midst of a hectic duel.

“So that’s what it looks like…” he murmured to himself, earning a brief nod from the teen. The marked arm was held out for him and blue eyes stared evenly into his friend’s.

“It’s just speculation, but if the Crimson Dragon is the thing that brought myself and Judai through time, and the last thing you remember touching are our hands when we parted ways, it _may_ be the connection to what brought you here,” he explained simply. Atem listened carefully to his words, finding his reasoning to be sound. It was all they had to go on, at the very least.

“If you think it’s simply a connection, then there may be something else that triggered my appearance here. That’s what you mean, isn’t it?” he clarified, if only for his own sake. Yusei gave a short nod at that, glad he was able to keep up with his theory.

“As far as I can see.”

Atem felt his brow crease as he followed the lines of the dragon’s head. Whatever the power behind it, it was simply another question he would need to ask Yusei later. For now, it was merely a theory that needed testing, and he reached out, placing his palm directly across the mark.

The strange reaction took only a moment to swell under his palm, but Atem couldn’t stop the look of shock that ran through his expression as his skin began to warm against the dark lines. Yusei, too, was surprised as he felt that familiar sear of heat run through his birthmark; the dull red beginning to burn brightly between skin. Something that had typically only occurred during dire situations was being pulled from him so easily with a mere touch.

Atem drew his hand back, staring at it as if it were something foreign. Crimson eyes then darted to the mark still searing along Yusei’s arm. It was almost inconceivable that their final contact with each other on the previous day would have such repercussions, yet the proof was irrefutable.

Without waiting for a response from the mechanic, then teen placed his hand upon his arm once more, feeling that tingling warmth travel along skin again. Yusei was left wondering exactly what the hell was going on when there were still so many unanswered questions left between them.

Could this strange connection be the reason Atem was pulled forward to this era? What of his eternal binding to the Puzzle? Had the spiritual connection between Pharaoh and Puzzle been somehow altered by Yusei’s connection to the Crimson Dragon? Then what of-

With a sharp hiss of pain, both Yusei and Atem jerked back from each other; the searing burn of the connection proving too much. A gloved hand immediately reached up to rub at the heated lines, willing the burn away with soothing movements. Atem himself was reaching for the glass of water at his bedside table; Yusei noticing the jaws of the dragon’s head somewhat burnt into his palm.

“Sorry about that,” he offered in a heartbeat. “I didn’t realise it would generate such a response.” Atem stared evenly back at him as he tucked the glass between his knees, dipping fingers into the cool water.

“It’s nobody’s fault, Yusei. Theories are meant to tested, correct?” he replied with a faint smile, moist fingers reaching for the teen’s arm. “Here, this may help.” Yusei hesitated for a moment, withdrawing his gloved hand to offer his arm to Atem once more; this time in aid, rather than question.

“You don’t have to go that far,” he said softly. “I’m a little used to it by now.”

Atem could only shake his head as the reply, running moist fingers across the heated skin.

“Perhaps, but it’s still something I can do for you here and now,” he told him simply, as if that were that. In his mind, there _was_ nothing more to say, and Yusei could only succumb to that. The mechanic felt himself relax a little from his immediate reaction, and simply let the teen do as he willed; if it helped him feel better, then so be it.

They may have had no true idea what dragged him to this era, or for what purpose, but for now, they were simply friends helping each other in whatever small way they could.

To both of them, it was all that mattered in their minds.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days brought simple change to the lives of a few people, especially to the two young men who had not so long ago risked everything to ensure the safety of both the past and the future.

The doctor who had been tending to Atem decided his arm was well enough to place into a proper cast, and he was more than happy to discharge him into the care of Yusei and his friends during the remainder of his recuperation.

“So long as there is no heavy lifting whatsoever with that arm, and only gentle muscle exercises,” the stern warning had come. Atem placated the man by responding with all the right words, and Yusei reassured the doctor that they’d take care of him without a hitch. The man planned to hold them both to their words, for he had treated many a teenager in his lifetime; especially when it came to riding duellists.

Atem also learned what it meant to appreciate the sleek beauty of Yusei’s D-Wheel up close as he stepped into the parking lot. The cherry red machine utterly gleamed as it sat waiting for them in the sun, and the duellist felt the need to restrain himself from running a hand along the length of its chassis in admiration. Clearly this was a machine well cared for by its master, and it showed in every smooth surface that reflected the sunlight like a mirror.

He was hard pressed to stop gawking at it like a five year old faced with a mountain of candy.

Yusei couldn’t help but notice the way he seemed to be caught in his daze, finding it hard to suppress the smirk on his lips as he retrieved his second helmet.

“I hope you don’t mind, but it’s going to be a little bit of a squeeze with the two of us here,” he explained softly, placing the seat back into position. “Jack or Crow’s D-Wheel’s won’t be able to fit you either, and I doubt you want to take a taxi.”

The pharaoh stirred from his admiration of the machine, turning crimson eyes to meet Yusei’s. What he saw in that gaze told him everything he already knew; of course he wasn’t going to take a taxi. Yusei knew Atem would accept his offer in a heartbeat, because he also knew that Judai hadn’t been the only one staring at his D-Wheel with awe.

“As long as you don’t mind a blunt object pressed against your back for the trip, then it suits me just fine,” he replied, lifting his cast for effect. Yusei shook his head as he stepped back, allowing the duellist to approach the D-Wheel.

“Just sit back as far as you’re able, then I’ll help you with your helmet,” Yusei told him, keeping a watchful eye on his friend as he straddled the machine, sliding himself back against the curved backrest. It felt incredibly comfortable against his spine, and Atem was definitely considering a second ride later on. Once his arm had fully healed of course; he’d hate to defy the doctor’s orders, or worse, send his recovery backwards.

Yusei helped slip the helmet about his mess of hair, almost surprising both of them that it managed to fit first go, and with the press of a hidden button, lowered the visor for him. As he pulled his own on, he straddled the machine, seating himself a little further forward than what he was used to, and lowering the throttle arm. It took a moment to find a position that wasn’t entirely uncomfortable before bringing the machine to life, Momentum humming beneath them.

Atem listened carefully to the machine as it purred, knowing it was certainly a different sound to what he was used to hearing from an engine. It sounded so smooth and clean; nothing at all like the gruntish combustion engines he was used to. He made a note to ask Yusei about it a little later on.

“Passenger’s choice,” Yusei’s voice spoke to him as clear as if he were next to his ear, and he glanced back up at his escort, realising there must have been some sort of communication device within the helmets. “Do you want to take the scenic route, or the direct route home?”

Behind him, Atem smiled softly to himself as Yusei busied his hands with bringing the D-Wheel fully to life, blue eyes carefully watching as the system stirred into action. He knew his sudden appearance had turned Yusei’s life on its head, and it was probably causing him to think hard about his plans from here on out. He was beyond grateful to the mechanic for taking him in without question; even going so far as organising with that officer to become his caretaker in the meantime.

Atem also had no idea how long his stay in this era would be, and if it were truly ephemeral, it would render all of Yusei’s plans naught.

Yusei obviously knew all of this, and still, he went out of his way to aid him. It reminded him so much of another duellist he knew, and it almost made something in his chest ache with the thought. There really was no telling how long he would remain in this era, nor whether he would ever see Yugi again, but until such a time as he could return, he was indebted to Yusei’s kindness. Atem truly couldn’t thank him enough, yet he would certainly make an effort to do so until it had been repaid.

“I’d like to see more of your era,” he answered finally, placing his hand upon Yusei’s shoulder. “You spoke only a little of it before, and from what I’ve seen, it’s already such a marvel.” The riding duellist turned his head to glance at his friend across his shoulder, smiling faintly at him.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” was all he said, giving the throttle a blast of life as he focused on the road once more. Before there was a chance to draw a breath, the D-Wheel shot from its place and tore from the carpark in a squeal of tires on asphalt, the hand on Yusei’s shoulder ducking to his waist in a heartbeat. Atem almost closed his eyes at the sudden speed that rushed over him, the giddy feeling of adrenaline hitting him as they easily ducked into traffic and began blasting mere inches between cars.

He let out the laugh he had no chance of stopping, his jacket whipping back with the wind that blew past them. The thrill of speeding through the streets with Yusei and his skill at the helm was almost enough to make him forget about the dull ache of his arm. The traffic about them almost had no chance to react as the D-Wheel darted between them as easily as if they were sitting still, yet Atem barely watched them as his attention began to snare on the world around him.

He knew that Neo Domino was what his own city would become in the future; how long into the future, even he had no idea. He’d not asked Yusei the current year, and he felt almost awkward to broach the subject, lest he find out he’d leapt further forward in time than he thought. Nevertheless, progress about him certainly hadn’t halted. Everywhere he looked, buildings towered overhead, holographic billboards spruiked their wares and technology was a marvel that everyone held in their hands. Even through the dense layers of buildings and traffic and people, there were vague flashes of light, which he soon realised to be the glint of the ocean.

“A little different, isn’t it?” Yusei’s voice gently broke into his thoughts and the riding duellist earned a laugh for his efforts, fingers tightening their hold upon his waist.

“It’s incredible! I never imagined the future of Domino City to be like this!” he exclaimed, crimson eyes still following the flood of metropolis about him. Yusei could only smile at that as he navigated them easily through a string of traffic and onto a nearby off-ramp.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he explained simply as they began to leave the swarm of the business district behind, the D-Wheel roaring along a road that seemed built in the sky for all its height.

The minutes trickled by, but for Atem, it may have well been hours as his thrilled gaze drank in everything about them. Sprawling skyscrapers and teeming office suites soon gave way to department stores and apartments, thinning further more to humble shops and simple houses as they turned towards the coastline. The D-Wheel began to climb along the winding cliffside road that followed the ocean’s edge, and Atem could only watch in silent awe as the sunlight glinted off the water like a myriad of glittering diamonds.

It wasn’t all that caught his eye, either. As they turned along the edge of the coast, he realised they had climbed high enough to glance over his shoulder and see the city sprawl out behind them. He couldn’t stop the faint draw of breath at the sight as he began to realise just how large Neo Domino City truly was, and this was only a small portion of it.

His attention returned to his escort as he felt the D-Wheel begin to gear down beneath them; Yusei guiding it to slow down as they approached a small lookout area at the side of the road. With the faint crunch of tires rolling to a stop upon the gravel, Yusei brought them to a stop and powered down the impressive machine.

Atem still felt his heart pounding in his chest with the adrenaline; the only real motorbike he’d ever truly ridden on had been Honda’s, but even then, it hadn’t been anything more than a few trips here and there. Never had he travelled so fast before, and he couldn’t wipe the smile from his expression as he began to fumble one-handedly with his helmet. His friend couldn’t help but laugh softly at his plight as he slipped from his seat.

“Here, let me get that,” he told him, easily pulling it free and helping him from his place on the D-Wheel. “You know, if you keep that up, I’m going to have to start calling you Lefty.”

Atem gave a short laugh in response as Yusei removed his own helmet, sitting both on the seat. “Do that and I might have to show you just how heavy Lefty is,” he teased back easily. The air between them was light with mirth as Yusei led them to the edge of the lookout, his eyes reflecting the smile that sat easily upon his lips.

“Come on, if I’m injured then I’d never be able to bring you here again. Look,” he answered smoothly, folding his arms and leaning elbows on the railing as he watched his friend’s response. Atem certainly didn’t disappoint, as he stood next to him, turning crimson eyes across the ocean to see the sprawl of the two cities before him; a network of roads and highways stretching between them.

One of the cities, the one they had just left, teemed with life as its buildings clawed higher and higher in order to beat each other to the clouds. A bustling metropolis full of progress and promise. Yet across the brilliant stretch of ocean sat another city, one Atem had not noticed before, and he had to wonder as to what it was. Had they built an extension to the city across the water sometime in the past? Was it merely the distance at which it sat, or were there truly no skyscrapers in that small stretch of land?

“Satellite,” the word breathed between them, heavy in the air, as Yusei followed his gaze. Crimson eyes turned to his companion for clarification and Yusei kept his gaze on that same reclusive island. “Seventeen years ago, there was a disaster called Zero Reverse. The land broke apart and that portion – once a part of Neo Domino City – was torn away from life here. It shattered society into two distinct regions; a rift that could never be mended. Not entirely.”

Atem watched him for a moment, not missing the quiet aura that had settled upon his friend.

“Satellite… Paradox mentioned it once before,” he began softly, attention not wavering from the subtle expression of guilt that lingered in those blue eyes. “And that you also joined them together.” Dark brows above blue eyes furrowed by a hair and Atem knew he had found something in that mute answer.

“Before Paradox…” Yusei replied quietly, carefully selecting his words as he chose to remain impassive to those eyes scrutinising him. “There was a fierce battle in Neo Domino. The end result was the unification of the two cities once more through the complete construction of the Neo Daedalus Bridge, but…” he trailed off once more. The words sat fresh on his tongue, but he knew that to give voice to such a bloody history would take more than a quick chat on the side of the road. Still, he could not deny his friend the truth. It was just the matter of explaining everything to someone unfamiliar to any of it; he felt a little like he was trying to describe the sky to someone who had no idea what the colour blue was.

“There’s still… indifference, and even some outright hatred to those who come from Satellite. Yet… while people claim I was the one responsible for the unification of both cities, there were certainly a lot more working hard to see it through. Even today, there are those who haven’t ceased in their mission to unify them once more,” he said with finality. “All the people of Satellite want to do is survive in peace.”

Atem kept crimson eyes on the teen as silence lapsed between them, knowing that for as little as he’d spoken on the subject, this was a well of hurt for him. What he didn’t know was truly how deep those feelings ran, nor what connection Yusei had to the founding of the division that lay between both cities. Yet the way he spoke of the past, and from all he knew about him, proved to Atem that Yusei was more than a figurehead for the people of both cities; he now knew without a doubt that it was a struggle that was etched into his very soul.

He turned his gaze to the network of highways stretching across the ocean once more, letting his cast rest lightly upon the railing.

“You feel for everyone in this war… don’t you,” the breath of words came out as a simple statement, and blue eyes darted to him in mild shock at the phrase.

“War?”

Atem merely nodded. “The split of the city by means of total prejudice. People caught on both sides. Yusei, I’ve seen it many times over, in many forms,” he continued softly. “I’ve seen what it does to people and yet you must realise something very important; something I believe you already know more than a little of – you cannot heal all hearts.” A wistful smile caught on his lips as if recalling a fond memory, and he turned his gaze back to those blue eyes. “All you can do is fight for what you believe is right in your own heart, and those willing to follow your path will do so, but… even a leader cannot lead those who do not wish to come.”

A hand reached up, settling on the riding duellist’s shoulder. “Yusei, you have the power to draw people together. To show them that belief in faith and their own abilities is more than enough,” his smile grew. “I have a distinct feeling that both cities knew exactly what they were doing when they allowed you to bring them together. With time, and example, even the hardest of hearts will soften, and they will see the truth for what it is. Even when speaking on such things as strong as prejudice.”

Silently startled blue eyes could do little but stare back at the resolve and power sitting so easily in his friend’s gaze, which spoke nothing of the words that washed over him.

“Atem…” the murmur of a name fell from his lips as his own words failed him.

There was a glint of a smirk that covered Atem’s smile.

“Need I also remind you that you travelled through time to bring us together. If that isn’t dedication to a cause, then I’m at a loss to explain what is,” the pharaoh prompted softly, helping to break the serious moment they had both fallen into. Yusei hesitated for a moment before the easy smile drifted across his expression, and Atem could see the visible loss of tension within him.

“I suppose you have me there,” the light reply found his ears, and a hand reached up, covering Atem’s shoulder in a mirrored gesture. “Thank you, for reminding me.”

“Not at all,” the pharaoh said with a light shake of his head. “I’ll be here to remind you whenever you want, Yusei. You showed me how strong you were during our first duel together, and so long as I remain in your era, I intend to help you realise that fact, no matter what it takes.”

Yusei couldn’t help the warmth that flooded his smile at those words, knowing that Atem meant every word he spoke. Despite his lofty title, the King of Games was little more than a duellist simply wanting to aid his friend, regardless of the situation. He gave a faint squeeze to that shoulder before lowering his hand, the pharaoh doing the same.

“I don’t doubt that, but for now, please let my friends and I help you first,” the riding duellist told him simply. “There’s going to be more than enough on your plate to get used to life in this era without having to worry about that arm of yours. Besides, during your recuperation you can see what’s changed in Duel Monsters, and maybe even find some new cards to your liking.”

Atem gave a brief nod. “I’d like that. It would be nice to see what’s possible to keep in my deck while looking at this Synchro Summoning you used earlier. Perhaps I might even learn a new trick or two along the way.” Yusei gave a faint noise of amusement at that.

“You never did get an explanation of what it is, did you…” he mused aloud. “Alright then. Let’s head back to our place and we can start with that. Jack, Crow and Bruno should be there, too, so I’ll introduce you to them as well.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Atem replied softly. Crimson eyes watched as Yusei walked back to his D-Wheel, readying it for the trip back through the city once more, before turning his attention back across the ocean. The two cities stretched along the water, and for a brief moment Atem was filled with a sense of longing.

Neither were his city, but for now, both were his home.

***

While he had known of his legend ever since growing up, Yusei knew nothing could prepare him for the day when he actually met the King of Games in person. Then again, nothing could have prepared him for the ability to travel back in time to meet him in the first place. Yet as strange as life was for him, he’d simply learned to roll with the punches that were thrown at him, and if that meant living with the spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh for the time being, then he was content with his lot.

Although, he had to pause and muse over as he turned his D-Wheel down the quieter street to Poppo Time, for a man called such a thing, he certainly had no qualms about his current name. Was it truly the name of the pharaoh? Or had it been some other name he’d chosen to hide his true identity while in this era?

No matter how much he tried to steer his mind from it, questions upon questions about the duellist kept invading his thoughts. Not that he minded in the least; questions were what fuelled him. Yet even he had his limits when it came to wanting answers.

He bit back the sigh on his tongue, knowing that for now, all he could do was wait until the answers presented themselves to him. Until such a time, he knew he could easily pass the time with life about him and a newfound friend to share it with.

Yusei began to gear the D-Wheel down as he neared the familiar fountain, and steered them down the ramp to their little corner of the city. Atem’s eyes instantly caught the other two D-Wheels sitting in the open workshop as they stopped, and he briefly wondered if they rode anywhere near as smoothly as Yusei’s. With the mechanic working on both of them, it was a very distinct possibility.

The engine cut underneath them and the rider extracted his helmet, letting dark hair splay out from its confines once more. He finally let out the quiet sigh on his tongue as he stood, helping Atem with his helmet and gesturing to the space about them.

“This is just our workshop, but it’s part of our home sweet home,” he explained simply. “There a kitchen upstairs, and above that are our sleeping areas. It’s not much, but our landlord is kind enough to let us stay here for all the noise we make.”

Atem gave a soft chuckle as he stood. “I can imagine working on three of these could get rather noisy.”

“Four, actually,” Yusei nodded towards the prototype sitting off to one side. “Especially when it decides to reject any programming changes and explode. Zora doesn’t take kindly to that.”

“Explode?” Atem asked in surprise as brows shot upwards. The front door suddenly opened as a middle-aged woman stepped through, effectively halting any further questioning, and both teens turned towards her.

“Zora! I was just telling Atem about you,” Yusei stepped in hastily before the woman had a chance to speak. She began her trek down the ramp, eyes already scrutinising the newcomer as she stopped before him, silence wrapping about her like a blanket.

“So you must be the one that Crow mentioned,” she told him finally. “You’d best not be giving Yusei any trouble. He’s a very busy boy with all his work.”

Atem smiled warmly at her, casting the riding duellist a quick glance. “Not at all. In fact, I’d already made plans to help him with his work around here in order to repay him for all that he’s done for me so far,” he paused as he held out his hand for her. “My name’s Atem Muran, an old friend of Yusei’s. If there’s anything I can do for you during my stay, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

The woman watched him carefully for a moment, before a smile found its way to her lips, softening her entire expression. She grasped his hand firmly, noticing he had a strong grip himself, and gave a heavy sigh of relief.

“Well, I’m glad he’s got someone to help him out around here. Those other three troublemakers cause Yusei so many headaches, it’s inconceivable,” she gushed to the teen, withdrawing her hand and placing them both on her hips. Her mind still hadn’t been made up about the lad, but she certainly liked what she saw already. Cast and all. “Though getting around with that thing during your stay is going to be a sod,” she added. “Tell you what, since the boys have taken up all the rooms here, you can stay with me across the plaza.”

Both sets of eyes widened.

“Zora, that’s not-”

“No, no, that’s-”

The two young men glanced at each other before Yusei turned his eyes back to the woman.

“Actually, I was planning on giving my room to Atem,” he began easily. “It’s the closest to the back door of the shopfront, so he wouldn’t need to use the ladder. I’m more than comfortable staying here in the workshop.”

“Nonsense! I’ll not have you sleeping on that couch another night!” Zora shot back at him. “I’d sooner have you stay with me than those other hooligans, anyway. No, that simply won’t do; Atem will stay with me and don’t you dare think of moving yourself down to this workshop for a single night, young man,” she told them both sternly.

Yusei knew it would be pointless to protest, and he simply smiled at her, nodding in acceptance. “Alright, I promise; no unnecessary nights on the couch, Zora,” he told her in warm amusement. Atem glanced back at his friend for a moment, before turning crimson eyes to the woman.

“I don’t think I can thank you enough for this,” he began, bowing his head to her gratefully. “I’d heard only stories of how nice the people in this city were, but I never thought the reputation would go above and beyond my expectations.”

Zora merely laughed at him. “Well, aren’t you a charmer! Now, now, none of that; if you’re willing to help poor Yusei out even while you’re a little broken up, then that’s all I need to know,” she told him simply with another chuckle. “All I ask is you help where you can and don’t cause him any trouble. What else… ah! I have dinner on my table at seven sharp, so if you wish to eat with these boys, just let me know during the day.”

Atem gave her a short nod, his smile never wavering. “That sounds wonderful. Thank you, really; the offer means the world to me,” he repeated simply. She merely waved him off again.

“Oh stop it, I’m more than satisfied with my decision. Now, I figure you want to be with these boys for tonight, so I’ll only make dinner for one, but tomorrow, I expect you to be at my table, is that clear?”

“As crystal, Zora.”

“Good,” she finished with all the authority of a drill sergeant and gave another curt sigh. “Alright, I’ve seen enough of you. Yusei, if you need anything from me, I’ll be in the shop until closing; do take care not to let those other thugs trouble you,” she tutted at him sympathetically before walking back up the ramp to the front door, sweeping out as quickly as she had entered.

Both teens were left watching the space she once stood, a little dumbfounded over what had just transpired before their eyes slowly met. The same bemused expression crossed their expressions and Atem couldn’t help but snigger softly at what they’d just been through.

“She seems… nice,” he began, bringing up a hand to cough into, lest he release the laugh that really wanted to fly from his throat.

Yusei merely nodded, trying hard to do the same. “She means well, and tolerates what we do here, which is more than can be said for a lot of others when we were looking for a place to stay,” he began smoothly. “Sometimes, though…”

“Believe me, I know exactly what you mean,” Atem replied easily, shaking his head in fond memory. “Yugi’s grandfather is exactly the same; he means well, but he can certainly be overbearing at some times. It’s a wonder Yugi puts up with it sometimes.”

The simple words left him too easily, and he kept his gaze to the floor, realising belatedly the topic of his choice. Perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything on the subject, for it was like picking at a scab that was still so fresh. Yusei, too, noticed the quiet settling in the room after the pharaoh had finished speaking, but said nothing of it, even when he saw the teen’s hand reach for his chest; fingers wanting to brush against the missing object he knew so well.

Instead, the riding duellist reached up, placing a hand to his friend’s shoulder. Crimson eyes glanced up once more, meeting his gaze. No words needed to be spoken between them, for Atem knew exactly what Yusei was saying to him, and he gave a faint nod, allowing the weary smile to cross his lips.

He would be fine. He would get through this. They would both find out what this strange connection between Puzzle and Crimson Dragon was.

Atem reached up, covering Yusei’s hand lightly with his own, simply keeping contact with that warmth.

“Now, I believe you were going to explain Synchro Summoning to me,” he breathed, earning the warmest smile from his friend.

Yusei nodded, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “I was. Come on; I’ll make us both some coffee and we can get you started.”

The heavy air from before still lingered as conversation returned, and both seemed to sense it despite how light their words were. Even so, it did nothing to dull the smiles between them as cards were placed upon a table, coffee was shared, and time passed. All there was between them were the bonds that kept them striving forward.

They both knew of pain and loss. They both knew of moving forward. Now was merely a time of transition from one to another, and without needing to say a word on the matter, both vowed to aid the other regardless of what it took.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun crept across the sky, warmth filling the open workshop as the two teens sat on the couch, a table dragged before them and cards all but filling the surface. Between them, Yusei would collect cards from his own deck and spoke on each of them, bringing the pharaoh up to speed on what had been introduced since his own era. As things progressed, he was glad to realise that Atem had little to learn, and that duelling had hardly changed at all over the years that separated them. To the pharaoh, he could relate this strange new summoning method to the likes of ritual summoning; the materials might be different, but the means were almost identical.

Atem held the single white card in his hand, crimson eyes pouring over every detail of Stardust Dragon. This was Yusei’s ace monster. The one thing that assured them victory over Paradox. More than that, it was one of Yusei’s most treasured possessions; even if he didn’t know the history behind the teen and his card, he could tell that Stardust meant the world to him.

He remembered what it felt like to gaze up at the impressive white dragon, its body shimmering like the very name it bore. He also recalled the way Yusei had practically beamed with joy at having Stardust returned to his hand. And then, for a second time, as Sin Stardust Dragon left the field and the true dragon was reunited with his partner once more.

It was true that Atem had no true knowledge of what this card really meant to Yusei, but he had seen the bond between them, and he would do little else but treat it with the same reverence as the riding duellist.

“I never thought I’d be seeing him again so soon…” he murmured, offering it to his owner. “After everything… well…” he found that words lost him for a moment, and Yusei could only nod at that, knowing that there was no need to voice what they both knew. Time travel made things so difficult sometimes.

“I understand,” he replied softly, gloved fingers grasping the card once more and gazing at it fondly. “Even before all of this started, I thought I’d lost him for good.”

“You mean when Paradox first stole him?” Atem asked, sitting back and watching the duellist carefully. Yusei gave a shake of his head, gathering his thoughts on the past once more.

“Earlier than that,” he said softly, turning his eyes to the far side of the room. “Over two and a half years ago now, Stardust was stolen from us, and it’s only been in the last six months that he’s returned to me.” He almost wanted to smile faintly at the memory; it seemed like a lifetime ago now. At his side, Atem’s eyes widened in a glimmer of understanding; no wonder Yusei had fought so desperately to see the return of Stardust to his hand. Even when he’d been asked to destroy him, the hurt that swam in those blue eyes was immeasurable. That he would be so devastated over the loss of a single card…

No, his mind instantly breathed, knocking the thought away. He knew of his own bonds to the cards in his deck, and he would be equally as torn if something were to happen to them. The memories attached to each of them would cause their loss to hurt, to be certain, but losing the Dark Magician would make his very soul ache.

Atem was only scratching the surface of the person that was Yusei Fudo, and he wanted to learn all that he could in the time that he had.

“It’s… a bit of a long story,” Yusei’s voice continued softly, halting the pharaoh’s thoughts. The riding duellist earned a soft smile is response.

“Time is one of those things I find myself having a lot of,” he replied simply.

Yusei glanced at him as he spoke, wondering whether he was serious or not, when the mischievous glint in those crimson eyes told him otherwise. The faint smile settled on his lips and he placed Stardust at the top of his deck, sitting back as he brought the events of the past to mind once more.

He was about to open his mouth to speak when the familiar whine of a D-Wheel caught his attention, and blue eyes turned to the open door of the workshop. As the sound approached, the two watched as Crow idled Blackbird into the room, a large box strapped to its back.

Yusei gave him a casual wave before the engine cut, allowing the redhead time to pull his helmet off and slide off his D-Wheel before he introduced him to Atem. Grey eyes caught on the newcomer sitting beside him and instantly his brow furrowed.

“Well this is just uncanny,” he began, placing his helmet on the seat and walking over to the pair, hands on his hips and a wry smile across his expression. “Not a few days ago, we were talking about the greatest duellist to ever live, and now his doppelganger is sitting in our home.” Crow gave a faint snort of laughter. “Yusei, did you bring him home with you after that duel or something?”

Atem couldn’t stifle the faint chuckle on his lips and Yusei could only glance at him in amusement. To Crow, it seemed like some personal joke had just passed between the two, when the penny suddenly dropped for him. Grey eyes widened impossibly as his gaze darted over the person sitting next to his friend.

“You’re actually _him??_ ” he exclaimed, jabbing a finger in his direction. “You’re Yugi Mutou! Yusei, wha- How did this happen? Why is Yugi Mutou sitting on our couch right now??”

“Whoa there, Crow,” Yusei placated him as he stood up, walking to his friend. He placed a hand on his shoulder to ground him a little, staring evenly back at him. “Take a breather. You’re only half right when you’re saying who he is, for a start.”

Crow blinked back at blue eyes for a moment before they ducked back to Atem, that confused frown pulling into place once more.

“Wait, so… you’re… the spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh instead, right?” he asked quickly, bringing Atem up short. Just how many people in this era knew about him? No sooner had the thought left his mind, than another chilling thought ran through him. What if they also knew of his true name? Had he chosen something that was as well known in this era as Yugi’s? Would people recognise him after all, just as quickly as this Crow had done?

“I am,” he replied, swallowing down his concern as he stood. “You’re correct, however. There was a little… mix-up, shall we say, after the duel with Paradox, and I’ve found myself in your era instead of my own.” He reached up, placing a hand to his chest as he spoke, eyes watching Yusei intently. “Neither of us are really too sure how it happened, but we believe there was some crossover between my Millennium Puzzle and the power of your Crimson Dragon.”

Yusei nodded at his words, lowering his hand from Crow’s shoulder, turning to his friend once more. “Regardless, there’s something important we both need to ask of you,” he continued. Crow stammered and fumbled over his words for a moment before he nodded hastily.

“Y-Yeah, sure. Anything. Just name it,” he asked, eyes still darting over to Atem once every so often. How the hell could the guy be standing there so casually? The real King of Games; in their own home! And here was Yusei asking him to do something serious. The nerve of the guy.

“We don’t know what affect his appearance in our era will have on _either_ timeline, so, to be safe, he’s using a different name for the time being,” Yusei began, turning to the duellist in question to continue. Atem gave a nod as he walked forward, standing with the duo and smiling at Crow.

“Atem Muran,” he said, holding out his hand for Crow to shake. The redhead’s eyes went as wide as saucers as he stared down at the offered hand, looking for all the world like he’d just seen a ghost. As far as Atem was concerned, he wasn’t too far off the mark, and he took his hand, shaking it gingerly.

“Crow Hogan,” he mumbled in reply, his brain rapidly trying to remember what the colour blue was. A moment of time flickered past them all and Crow breathed a heavy sigh through his lips, the gaping awe flooding from him, yet still leaving him staring at Atem, wondering if this was all some freakish dream or not. “So let me get this straight. After Yusei comes back, there was a little problem between you two, and it dragged you forward to our era, right?” Twin nods met his words. “But you’re not really Yugi Mutou; you’re the spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh.”

Atem merely smiled at him, knowing it was a little too much for him to take in all at once. Best to let Crow take his time with it, and he nodded again.

The redhead opened his mouth to speak again, voice catching in his throat as he hastily rethought it. No, no, he had to be tactful about this; if what both of them were saying, then this was messing with history at its finest, and anything he said or did could have an impact.

Gray eyes wandered over the duellist, as if committing this strange, freakish experience to memory as best as he could, before locking onto the cast. He frowned lightly, not knowing what had happened, as Yusei certainly hadn’t come back to them looking like that. Weary, sure, but banged up to that extent? Maybe that was why he-

“Can I sign your cast?” he blurted suddenly, and the serious moment about them shattered. Atem couldn’t help the laugh that spilled from him at the request, and even Yusei had to turn away, lest the smile on his face break into a soft laugh. Crow just frowned at them both as the pout buried his expression.

“Hey, I’m serious here! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and if I’m going to meet the greatest guy to ever duel, then I want to sign his cast!” Crow groused at them. Atem could only nod at him, seeing how determined the redhead was about it.

“It’d be my pleasure,” he replied, offering the cast to him. “You’re the first one, I believe.”

“Alright, even better!” Crow exclaimed in bright glee, pumping a fist into the air before he darted upstairs to find a marker. Yusei watched him go, not surprised that Crow’s attitude had changed in a heartbeat, but glad it had, nonetheless. The redhead had always been accepting of strange events, just as he’d been, really, but Yusei had harboured more than a little concern over how this particular meeting would go.

No sooner had the thought left him, than Crow came bounding up to them once more, nearly missing his footing on the bottom step in his excitement. It seemed, to Yusei, that Crow had suddenly morphed into one of the very excitable children he once guarded, and he could only give him space as he jerked to a stop before Atem. It didn’t seem to matter to Crow that he was standing with someone who all but shaped the future of Duel Monsters; no, once his shock and excitement burned away, he would treat the duellist with little more than a mutual respect, as he would anyone else.

For now, though, the redhead was more than content to scrawl his signature onto the cast, grinning broadly as he finished up.

“Yeah, now it’s a real cast!” he exclaimed, beaming to himself as he stood with the others. Atem smiled down at it, impressed he hadn’t taken up an entire side with his excitement.

“You know, I’m more than a little glad this tradition still exists in your era,” he began simply. “Though I suppose it’s something that never really changes.”

“Except they still haven’t come up with a better way of setting broken bones,” Crow grumbled knowingly, tucking the marker away into a jacket pocket. “So how did that happen, anyway?”

Atem paused for a moment, glancing back at Yusei before smiling awkwardly at Crow. “Well I… was hit by a car not so long after arriving here.”

“You _what?_ ” he burst out. He quieted for a second before something struck him, and he turned to Yusei with a mild glare in his eyes. “Wait a second, is he the guy you raced out of here for a couple of days ago? You didn’t think to tell us what was going on? Yusei, that’s just low!”

Yusei chuckled softly at his friend. “It was a little hectic at the time, and I guess… we were just trying to sort out what happened to bring him here, not to mention organise with Ushio for him to be discharged into our care. I’m sorry Crow, it just slipped my mind,” he offered simply, watching Atem for a moment. “For now, though, until we work out what’s going to happen, he’s staying with us. Well… with Zora across the plaza. She wouldn’t let me sleep on the couch like I’d planned.”

Crow could only stare back at him, feeling his disgruntled outburst fading to nothing when Atem placed a hand on Yusei’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it; I’m more than happy to go where she feels is more comfortable for me, and this way, you still get to keep your room,” he told him simply, as blue eyes met crimson. Yusei tried not to sigh heavily at it, but the decision had been made, so, instead, he merely returned the soft smile.

“So long as you’re happy with it,” he left the question hanging in the air, and Crow glanced back at his friend. A brief furrow crossed his expression as he watched him, before glancing over at Atem in wonder. Was he really seeing this comfortable exchange between the two or was his mind still reeling over meeting the King of Games? Yusei was just concerned about an injured friend, that’s all, his mind prompted, and he threw his hands up in the air, silencing his thoughts for now.

“Alright, I still need to unpack Blackbird for the day and balance my runsheet, so if you’ll excuse me,” he told them with finality, already wandering back to his D-Wheel. “Oh, and Bruno shouldn’t be too far behind me; he went into the city to look at some of those parts you were after. He said he should be back before sundown though,” he added.

“That just leaves Jack…” Yusei murmured to himself as he ran through the list of items in their little kitchen. He had a vague idea of what to cook for dinner, but he’d need to know certain numbers if he were to do something special. Crow gave a sharp snort as he extracted the overly large box from his Blackbird, all but dropping it onto the nearby table.

“That lazy jerk is either wasting our money on coffee again, or duelling Kazama,” he grumbled.

“Crow…” Yusei began, knowing it was pointless to step between this argument again.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” came the mumbled reply. “He _should_ know better by now, but regardless, I don’t know what time he’ll be back tonight. There should be some leftover beef in the fridge though.” Crow paused, leafing through ingredients in his mind, much the same as Yusei. “Mm, there’s always stir-fry, or a good old pick-n-mix.”

“I was thinking of one of those…” Yusei confirmed. At least with the second option, Atem could choose what he wanted for himself, so there wouldn’t be anything he didn’t like.

The redhead glanced behind him, catching the thoughtful look on his friend’s face before he turned back to his work, smiling faintly to himself. He knew, without a doubt, what was going through that head, and he’d be surprised if he didn’t choose the second option he’d voiced. Either that or he’d weigh up the pros and cons for each before _actually_ deciding. Or get so distracted that he’d forget entirely; honestly, if the place ran on Yusei’s eating schedule, then everyone would go hungry long before the mechanic realised his stomach had _begun_ growling.

“Tell you what, once I’ve finished my business here, I’ll set up for dinner,” Crow announced, pulling Yusei from his thoughts. “In the meantime, don’t let the rest of the day go to waste.” Both teens stared back at him in surprise, Yusei wondering why Crow was coming out with his motherly tone all of a sudden.

“Crow, you don’t have to-”

“Hey, save it,” the redhead interrupted smoothly, waving him off. “You still haven’t rested properly since your big duel the other day, and from the look of Atem, neither has he. Plus he still needs to be reacquainted with everything that’s changed. Come on, Yusei; take the rest of the day off and I’ll take care of things on this end.”

For a moment, silence settled across the workshop, and it was only when Atem cleared his throat softly that Yusei turned his gaze towards him.

“He does have a point there,” he began softly. “I highly doubt you’ve taken the time to recover since Paradox. I may have had an excuse to rest a little, but it’s not one I’d recommend.”

Yusei could see he was going to be outnumbered on this one, and he merely smiled to himself, closing his eyes briefly. “Alright, I know when I’m being told,” he chuckled softly, glancing up at Crow once more. “You have my thanks. Let me know if you need anything before dinner.”

The redhead waved him off, busying himself with his work and Yusei lead Atem back to the table, tidying up their decks and returning them to their proper holsters before heading up the little ramp to the front door. Sunshine washed over them as they stepped outside, and it took a moment to adjust to the brightness. Not to mention the warmth. Atem was glad he only had his jacket slung over his shoulders, but Yusei looked more than comfortable covered from top to toe in his usual attire.

He had to wonder if the teen was used to such temperatures, though his olive skin certainly told him so. Atem was almost jealous that Yusei possessed darker skin than he did, but it was something he’d learned to live with after so long. It would be some time before he could return to his former bronzed skin, though he highly doubted it would ever be one of his priorities.

“Well, since we’ve been effectively evicted until sundown, let’s show you around town a little,” Yusei began, walking with the duellist. “Was there anything in particular you wanted to know about?”

Atem had about a hundred things flood his mind at the drop of a hat, and narrowing it down seemed to be a bit of a chore. He gave a quiet hum as they walked, thoughts drifting back to what he’d learned while being here. With a faint smile, he settled on his chosen topic, and glanced at Yusei as they walked.

“I believe you were about to tell me about Stardust Dragon’s first disappearance, before I met Crow,” he said simply, and the riding duellist nodded, glad that Atem wasn’t the sort to leave something unfinished. As they both walked, Yusei picked up where he had left off earlier, and soon found himself relaying the history between Jack and himself, the Fortune Cup, and even talking of their experience with the Dark Signers.

As time wound on between them, Yusei found that it felt… good, to finally talk to someone about his experiences in the past, rather than have someone simply gauge his feelings, based on what they knew of him. Atem would never judge him from what he saw upon the surface; that much he knew. So to speak candidly on such topics, with questions and perspectives coming from fresh eyes… it was a blessing to him. He relished the opportunity to share with the pharaoh all he knew and to answer his questions as best as he could.

Even if some of words shared between them scraped like nails on a fresh wound. Speaking of Goodwin and Kiryu and his father’s false legacy were things that dug at his very soul and made his heart ache, but they were things better spoken than buried. It was a lesson he’d learned long ago, and he made good on all he knew of it as they walked.

As they did so, Atem slowly began to realise there was a darker history to this era than first perceived. He spoke so easily of loss and death and destruction, but Atem knew, utterly knew, that Yusei was not merely saying these words; he truly felt for every life around him, friend or otherwise. Even if the strength of his voice never wavered while they walked, there was a quiet resonance to his voice that could only attest to true heartbreak and hurt.

Crimson eyes narrowed faintly. How much pain and hardship could one soul truly bear?

“Atem?” the questioning call of his name stirred him from his thoughts and he glanced up at Yusei, who watched him carefully.

“Sorry, I got a little lost in thought,” he apologised meekly as they made their way through a quiet park. The sunlit gleam from the horizon burned a deep orange and he reached up to rub his neck sheepishly as silence fell between them. Life murmured about them as a breeze rustled through the trees, birds calling to each other in the warm evening. Time, it seemed, had slipped past them once more.

“There is one other thing I had wondered about,” he asked as they walked the final steps approaching a small lookout. The heart of the city stretched beyond them as they neared the railing, and Atem could truly appreciate the beauty of the bright metropolis waking up to greet the night. A wistful smile crossed his lips as he watched it for a moment, turning away finally and seating himself on a nearby bench. Yusei joined him, leaning back on his hands as he waited for the pharaoh to finish his thoughts.

“The engines in your D-Wheels. They sound nothing like the combustion engines I’m used to,” he began, brow furrowing lightly. “I’m guessing they’re nothing at all like _that_ , however.”

Yusei couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips at the comment, shaking his head lightly. “You’re right. They’re nothing like that; nor have they been for many years now,” the teen said simply, wondering where to begin on this one. Basics were one thing; history, another. “The D-Wheels, along with most everything in the city – cars, other transport, the city itself – is all powered by an energy source called Momentum. I’m not too sure if you’re familiar with a perpetual motion engine, or not-” a brief nod caught his attention and he smiled brightly. “Right, well, it’s essentially based on that.”

He cleared his throat softly. “With Momentum, if an engine is powered by such, the energy it creates is like a self-replenishing source. Take a D-Wheel for example,” he paused, bringing up a hand as he began to talk animatedly on the subject. “As it moves forward, powered by Momentum, it generates its own charge, using kinetic energy as a basis, and converts it into more Momentum. While engines have their own battery source, any excess is usually syphoned off, depending on the engine using it.”

The mechanic smiled to himself as the words left him, possibly enjoying speaking about it a little more than Atem did listening to it. “Surprisingly, larger moving objects, like trucks and heavy machinery, don’t use as much Momentum as smaller vehicles, but that all comes back to a weight and velocity ratio. Roll a ball down a hill and it doesn’t go very far once it reaches the bottom, but use a boulder, and its weight carries it further at the plateau. With a Momentum engine, it uses that build up of kinetic energy, converts it into pure energy, and self-powers the Momentum engine even further.”

He turned his gaze out to the city before them as his words finally ceased, lighting up for its preparation into the night. “It’s been at least fifty years since the technology was first used as a power source, and the world soon grabbed hold of it with both hands. It was a revolution in science and engineering, with people around the globe celebrating; hailing it as the saving grace of our time,” he paused, smile dipping to something wistful. “My mother and father made it their life’s work to study and build upon the Momentum, but in the end, it was the very thing that took both their lives, along with so many others in Zero Reverse.”

Atem watched him carefully, scrutinising the otherwise neutral expression that sat easily about those eyes. It was something Yusei had come to terms with many years ago, it would seem, even if talking of their legacy still made his soul ache. Talking of them, as people, before the accident, was something he looked back on with emptiness; almost a melancholy for never having met them.

“They did a lot of good for your world, Yusei,” Atem breathed softly. “For what you’ve told me of Zero Reverse, with the blame being solely placed on your father, I believe people forgot all about what they did _before_ then. They _choose_ to, in some vain attempt to find a true scapegoat for that day.”

Yusei lowered his gaze to the path, nodding mutely. He knew that much; had surmised that much on his own. Rudger’s confession to him at the Old Momentum Reactor had confirmed what he had always suspected, but had never been able to find proof of.

“The past is called such for a reason,” the pharaoh continued softly. “What happened that day may still have happened sometime later, if Zero Reverse hadn’t of occurred.”

“I know, but… those sort of theories have always made me wonder about so many other things, instead,” Yusei countered, brows furrowing. Unfortunately for Atem, he didn’t know what sort of Pandora’s Box he had just opened, and Yusei could only fix his gaze upon the concrete, hoping his words would not run off with him yet again. “Would… my parents still be alive? Would there be more casualties in a different Zero Reverse? Would we… _any_ of us, have learned from our mistakes about Momentum at all? What of the events with Rex and Rudger, in both the past and six months ago?” He trailed off, frustration lacing his words as he stared up at the sky, taking a moment to swallow a breath. “Would _any_ of the events with the Dark Signers have happened? What of those… that were turned? What about _us_ as Signers? Who’s to say that prophecy wouldn’t have fallen to anyone else?”

His fingers clenched upon wood as he sat there, staring up at the stars with bitter frustration nipping at his thoughts. They were the very things that welled in his mind and swarmed about his head like carrion flies as he lay awake at night. He wished he could simply bury his inquisitive nature at times, but theories were a part of him, as much as his skin or hair was; questions were something he simply couldn’t ignore.

“Yusei…”

The quiet slip of his name wasn’t enough to bring him back to earth, but the gentle touch of a hand on his was, and blue eyes glanced over at Atem, fresh ache swimming at the fore. The pharaoh saw it all, and he could only smile at him. There was only so much he could do as one person, but he would do everything in his power to see Yusei through his hurt.

“I know all too well what it’s like to chase a different past for a brighter tomorrow,” he whispered softly, fingers tightening their hold upon Yusei’s. “If my memories were intact upon my release from the Puzzle, I would have had to answer for the slaughter of hundreds. The decimation of entire towns and villages. My father’s role in all of it,” a bitter smile sat upon his lips. “Yugi’s life with me would have been a far darker place, and I dread to think what his mind would have become. Part of me even thinks I would have gone so far as to let Marik _win_ to pay for my sins.”

Blue eyes stared back at him, shock swimming in their depths as he processed that. It was hardly a light thought, yet here sat the pharaoh, telling him as easily as he would talk about the weather. If what he’d spoken of were true of the events during the Battle City Tournament, then nothing would be the same. If such a thing would have occurred, Paradox may never have need to step it at all; chaos would have wiped everything out in a flash and history would be irreparably altered. Their futures – Yusei and Judai’s eras, Paradox’s _own future_ – would have been utterly different. It would have changed… _everything_.

Atem gave a brief nod, seeing the dawning light in those blue eyes. “You understand.”

The rhetorical words were met with silence as Yusei turned his gaze away once more. He gave a mute nod, letting the words wash over his thoughts. Atem himself had been faced with such a past – the same dilemma as Yusei’s own – and from all the riding duellist could ascertain, he chose not to dwell on it at all.

No, that wasn’t it at all. He _did_ think of it, and often, by how easily he had spoken on the subject just now, but he had long since accepted it and moved on from the ache of _knowing_.

“I… I do,” he breathed, trying not to let the weight of those events drag his mind into a deeper spiral than it already was. He closed his eyes briefly, forcing his mind to clear, and it was only as those fingers gave another gentle squeeze of his own that he stared back at the duellist by his side.

The past was the past for a reason, he told himself firmly, and willed the faint smile back to his lips. They had proved that during the battle with Paradox; the only ones to shape the future are themselves. Good or bad, it was their choice. That thought alone pulled his smile further up, and he turned his hand over from underneath Atem’s, grasping those fingers with his own.

“Sorry… I guess we strayed a little from what you asked earlier,” he offered quietly, wringing the soft chuckle from Atem.

“It’s alright. I’m more than happy to help you wherever and whenever you need, Yusei,” he gave the riding duellist a brief wink, his smile taking on a cheeky note. “Besides, I’d hate to go back on my word to Zora.”

Yusei was stuck for a moment before he gave a soft laugh, elation slipping through him at the words. Of course Atem would find a way to turn the conversation about on him. It seemed to be one of the duellist’s many talents. No wonder he’d been so quick to pick up on the finer points of Synchro Summoning earlier that day back at-

Atem felt Yusei freeze a little under his hand, and his brow furrowed in instant concern. Yusei could only breathe a short sigh as he pressed a hand to his face.

“I completely lost track of the time; Crow’s going to be wondering where we are by now. I should find a vid screen to let him know where we are,” he explained with a soft groan. The pharaoh smiled warmly at him as they stood, walking away from the city view and back through the park.

“Don’t worry; I’m sure he knows that if anything were to have happened, one of us would have contacted him,” came the gentle voice of reason by his side.

“Even so, he’ll be cranky if we aren’t there in time for dinner,” Yusei added as they picked up the pace a little.

“Oh, I guess you two never decided on what you were having, either…” Atem murmured in thought. “He mentioned a pick-n-mix though; what is that?”

“Something of Crow’s own design, really, and I’m glad he came up with it sometimes,” came the explanation. “With four people at Poppo Time, sometimes one thing doesn’t suit everyone’s tastes or timetables, so all it means is you start with plain noodles, select from whatever’s been cooked up, mix it through and stir through your sauce. That way, there’s never any real waste or leftovers, either.”

Atem tried to ignore the way his stomach groaned in desire; hospital food only did so much for him. “That _does_ sound good,” he agreed.

“It works a treat with Crow’s kids, too.”

Atem’s eyes widened and he almost missed his footing, startled crimson locking onto smug blue. “Crow has _kids?_ ”

Yusei could only laugh at his reaction. “I’ll tell you along the way,” he reassured him.

Even as they walked through the quiet park and back towards Poppo Time, it did not quell the conversation between them. If anything, the warmth of the evening air about them stirred them on, and it was only as the streetlights began to wink on one by one that they became aware of their surroundings once more.

Yusei realised almost belatedly that their fingers were still entwined from the long walk back, and he quietly extracted them from Atem’s as they neared the front door of home. The pharaoh, however, was left wondering just why his palm was tingling once more, when he was certain the mark upon Yusei’s arm had not stirred in the slightest.

Both put their thoughts to rest as they were greeted with the smell of dinner and Crow all but tossing their bowls at them as they entered. They bore his jibes about tardiness and the redhead could only find it in him to forgive them when Atem exclaimed that it was the best thing he’d ever eaten.

Crow had been somewhat right when talking about Jack earlier, and he strode in halfway through dinner; his sudden outburst at Atem’s appearance nearly making Bruno choke on his beef. It was only as Crow was smacking the man on the back that the blond had calmed down, under the hasty condition of agreeing to a duel with the King of Games, of course. The redhead only groaned, knowing this would only make him regrettably hard to live with until such a time, and he bore no bones about voicing his opinion on the matter.

It was only as the usual noise of Crow and Jack arguing wafted over him that Yusei leant back in his seat, finishing the last of his dinner and chewing on his final string bean. To anyone else, it might have been senseless noise and pointless bickering, but to him, it was the sound of what was important to him.

To him, it was the sound of his family, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Fingers brushed his cheek, and he turned to blink at Atem, who was withdrawing; a few flecks of sesame seeds on his fingers.

“Somehow, I don’t think you were saving those for later,” he told him simply, ignoring the level of volume from across the table. Yusei could only smile at him, lifting his chopsticks across to pluck the offending tidbits from fingers and finish his dinner properly.

Their family, it seemed, had suddenly grown by one, and he was more than happy to have it just like that.


	5. Chapter 5

Crow hummed quietly to himself as he methodically cleaned the dishes from that nights dinner. Suds were halfway up his arms and he had a smudge of bubbles on his apron front, but he paid it no mind. If anything, he was glad for the company at his side, wiping and drying plates and cutlery as they were passed to him. It certainly made the job a lot smoother in the end.

“It’s strange, when you think about it,” Bruno murmured softly, bringing Crow from his reverie. Grey eyes turned to him, and hands stilled in their work.

“What is?”

Bruno kept his eyes on the plate in his hands, brow furrowing lightly as he chose his words. “Atem’s sudden appearance,” he continued. “In theory, we all know _how_ he got here, but we don’t know much past that; like whether it was the Crimson Dragon that brought him here or something else at work. It’s a little like me, in a way.”

The redhead stared at him for a moment, wondering where this was coming from all of a sudden, and he glanced over at the stairs leading to the workshop below them where the pharaoh in question sat.

“You think the Crimson Dragon had something to do with your arrival too?” Crow mused out loud, causing mauve eyes to widen slightly.

“E-Eh? No, I… I meant more along the lines of how we both seemed to appear with no firm explanation,” Bruno trailed off, hands stilling about his plate. “I don’t mind it all that much; in a way, it’s nice to get the chance to start over, don’t you think?”

Crow glanced back at the man as he continued drying his little stack of dishes. It was true nobody had any clue as to Bruno’s history or whereabouts before he was found by Security, but to so easily say something like that? The redhead found himself wondering what it would be like to lose everything about his past and start anew, and he swiftly found himself shaking his head to get the thoughts away, hands plunging back into the sudsy water as he shot back to his job.

If it were to happen to him, he’d lose everything he fought to hold dear; his kids, his friends, Blackbird and her legacy, even knowledge of his treasured Black Feathers. He couldn’t bear to start over like that, yet Bruno was quite content with his lot. If there were something horrendous in his past that had scarred his very soul, then by all means he could understand being happy with losing his memories on the subject, but for Crow, he just knew that event would tear at him too much to bear.

Bruno certainly seemed the type to simply go with the flow of things; he happily rolled along with life as his hand was dealt to him, which was probably a big part of why he was able to deal with losing his memories as such. His personality seemed linked to what muscle memory he had when it came to D-Wheels, mechanics and programming, which could ultimately be the missing link to his past, but even that reasoning was sketchy to the redhead.

The deep furrow crossed his brow; would he remember what he had in the first place in order to understand the reason behind losing his memories? If he ever recovered them, would he feel the sorrow and pain of losing them as a result?

“Geez, ask the hard questions, why don’t you…” he mumbled to himself, aggressively scrubbing at a frypan.

Bruno gave a quiet laugh next to him. “Sorry about that,” he replied softly, unaware of Crow’s sudden internal worry. “What I really meant all along was that, given Atem’s story, it’s a nice chance for _him_ to start over, too; even if it is only for a short time.”

“Yeah, but he’s got one up on you,” Crow added with a smirk. “You might be happy with an empty head, but at least Atem has someone to help him out here. Not to mention all the technology that’s changed since his time,” he paused, passing the man his frying pan to dry. “Then there’s all the changes to Duel Monsters, plus the fact he’s still recovering from that whole car incident. More for the last point than anything, but he really needs someone here right now.”

The taller man gave a quiet sigh as he closed his eyes briefly. “A very good point,” he breathed with a faint smile. “I’m glad he has Yusei here to help him find his feet, but moreso that he was able to forge such a strong friendship with him before all of this happened.”

Crow idly bit the inside of his mouth as he nodded mutely, mulling that thought over in his mind. It was something he’d seen only during the course of the last few days, but it still didn’t fit… quite right with how Bruno had phrased it. He certainly didn’t want to go voicing the offhand notion to anyone in question, lest he find himself horribly off the mark, but even so…

“Yusei’s a good friend,” he said simply, placing it aside for now. “He’d do anything to help out someone in need, and from what he described in that duel with Paradox, he made some strong bonds back there. Something that both of them sorely needed in order to win that duel.” He took in a deep breath as he wiped his sudsy hands upon his apron, stripping the bulk of it off before stretching his arms high above his head and letting them out with a heavy sigh.

“That’s the last of it for now. Heh, good thing we’ve got enough leftovers for the next couple of days, too,” he commented, undoing the knot on his apron and sliding it off, numbers already running through his head. “That’ll help with our grocery bill a bit,” he realised quietly, happy at this outcome.

Bruno gave a shake of his head, sliding the now dry frying pan back into its place. “You shouldn’t  have to worry about that. Not since both your and Yusei’s work has been picking up lately.”

“Yeah well, someone’s got to worry about it,” Crow mumbled. “All it would take is a single quiet week and we’d be back where we started.”

“Haven’t we been in the black for the last few weeks?” came the jovial phrase, causing the redhead to snort lightly.

“Alright, alright, we have been, but that _doesn’t_ mean we can go and blow it all on unnecessary rubbish!”

The taller man laughed softly, knowing where this argument was going before Crow had voiced it. Or rather, to _whom_ the argument was going. He merely placed his hands on the redhead’s shoulders, placating him gently and steering him towards the stairs. He didn’t mind it so much when they bickered amongst themselves; heck, he didn’t even mind it when they bickered at him. Truth be told, not much, if anything, riled the mechanic, but he still preferred a happy ship for those about him; honey oiled the gears between them a lot smoother than vinegar.

As they wandered back to the workshop, they were greeted with the sight of Jack and Atem seated together along the couch, and Yusei sitting opposite them on an overturned crate. The former was talking animatedly with Atem, all but bursting with joy that the King of Games really was with them, and Yusei could only watch in amusement, unable to get a word in edgewise. Blue eyes glanced over as the other two approached them, and he sat back with an easy smile.

Crow stopped behind him, folding his arms on the back of Yusei’s shoulders. “So I see Jack’s got him trapped,” he breathed with a faint smirk. The mechanic could only nod faintly.

“He’s harmless,” came the soft reply. “Not many people can claim to get Jack so worked up about Duel Monsters in such a positive light.” The redhead gave a faint hum of agreement, seeing nothing untrue about the scene before his eyes. He straightened once more, a flicker of an idea running through his head.

“Hey, does anybody want something to drink?” he asked, loud enough for the talking tree to hear him. The blond in question stared sceptically over at him in response.

“Are you offering to take an order across the plaza? _That’s_ unlike you,” Jack replied smoothly, finally sitting back and leaving Atem some breathing room. Crow fought back the urge to sigh. It didn’t stop him from rolling his eyes and staring evenly back at him as arms folded across his chest.

“First of all, they’re _closed_ , and secondly, not everyone wants to share your expensive sludge,” came the easy retort, and Yusei could only fight back the groan sitting on his tongue as Jack bristled.

“It’s hardly expensive when you consider the quality you’re getting in every cup!”

“Quality or not, there’s more to drink _here_ than coffee, which is why I’m asking if anyone wants anything _else!_ ”

Atem could only stare between the members of the heated exchange, raising a questioning brow. “How expensive _is_ it there?” He knew of Jack’s history, having heard most of it through Yusei’s words, but it still didn’t stop him from wondering. Especially if it ignited such a bitter row right in the middle of a friendly conversation.

“Worth every cent-”

“Three thousand yen a cup,” Crow interrupted sharply, grey eyes boring into violet. Atem’s eyes widened at the figure and he stared over at Jack for a moment. The blond felt the duellist’s eyes on him, but he didn’t budge an inch, still glaring heatedly at Crow. After a few seconds, the sound of quiet chuckling caught everyone’s ears, and all eyes went to the pharaoh, who was watching the surprised expression on Jack’s face.

“Sorry, it just sounds a little unbelievable,” he told them simply, the smile sitting easily across his lips. “At the end of the day, regardless of how good it may be, it is still just a cup of coffee. Though it does sound uncannily like something Kaiba would say to me.” Jack could do little but stare back at him in vague horror. Had the King of Games… just criticised him? Politely, of course, as was his way, but nonetheless.

He turned away with a short cough, sitting properly on his seat with all the air of a pouting child, and Crow had to stuff a fist against his mouth lest he stare laughing his head off. There was something amusing about the way Atem had calmed the ferocious clash of the storm that was Jack Atlas, and Yusei could only shake his head at it, standing up.

“I think something to drink would be great,” he decided, finally able to speak after all the anarchy. “We’ve got most of the usual offerings, from memory. Tea, coffee, I think there’s still some juice left, too.” Crow snapped his fingers in sudden realisation, a smile beaming from him.

“Hey, we’ve still got some hot chocolate saved up!” he exclaimed. “I bet we’ve even got some marshmallows stashed away somewhere, too!” The redhead purposefully turned cheeky grey eyes to the tall blond, unable to keep the grin from his face. “Might even find some coffee flavoured ones in there if you’re lucky.”

“Crow, don’t tease,” Yusei told him sternly as a hand slid to his friend’s shoulder, even if the smirk sat at the corner of his lips. “Hot chocolate sounds great though.”

“It’ll be like a celebration, in a way,” Bruno added. “We’ve had the feast, and now it’s time to toast Atem’s arrival.” The pharaoh in question could only laugh softly at that, standing up and nodding at his words.

“I like the sound of that,” he replied softly. “You three go ahead; I’ll join you shortly.” Crimson eyes turned their attention to the blond next to him as the others headed upstairs, intent on preparing everything for their sweet nightcap. Atem, however, was content to wait until the sounds of footsteps faded from the workshop, leaving him alone with the taller man. He offered his hand to him, who merely glanced back with sceptical violet eyes, waiting for his words to follow.

“I want to apologise,” he began simply. “I didn’t mean to insult you; to me, you really do remind me of Kaiba, and as such, it was the first thing that came to mind. He was always proud of his spending habits and went out of his way to prove himself to others,” he trailed off, not wanting to linger on it anymore than he had to. “Just know that I only mention it because I see the good in you, as I do him.”

Jack could only feel the wariness flood from him, leaving him with open surprise at his words. The King of Games truly thought he reminded him of Kaiba? The legendary CEO of Kaiba Corporation? He ducked his gaze down to that offered hand, and with a satisfied hmph, grasped it firmly; familiar smirk gracing his expression once more.

“Never let it be said that Jack Atlas ever refused a compliment,” he told him, and Atem could only smile as the taller man stood, still grasping his hand as challenge rose in his eyes. “Nor did he ever turn down a duel with a true king.”

Atem paused for a moment, unsure of which title of his the man might be referring to, and he let the question slide with a laugh; of course it would come back to his promise with Jack.

“Don’t worry. I have every intention of duelling against you with my all,” the pharaoh told him as they began to walk to the stairs. “I may not have the power of your Synchro Summoning in my deck, but I still know of many other ways to overcome a powerful duellist.”

Jack laughed proudly at him. “I wouldn’t want to duel you any other way.”

Atem could only smile to himself as they walked to the small kitchen, feeling the air around him clear. It felt good to be able to smooth things over with Jack; considering the way the teller man held him in such high regards, he’d hate to spoil that image for him. He’d certainly hate to do it with anyone else he met in this era, particularly any of Yusei’s allies. The conversation did get him thinking about the upcoming duel with the blond, however, and he knew he would have to work out something serious in order to overcome Jack’s deck.

From what Yusei told him of it, there were quite a few heavy hitters in there, and they all worked in perfect harmony with each other, even so far as to possess the ability to work from within the graveyard. No, Jack wouldn’t be an easy opponent, but he would certainly give him the fight of his life.

The two stepped into the kitchen, finding Crow busily warming some milk on the stove, with Bruno hovering not too far behind; a giant bag of marshmallows in his hands. Yusei extracted the last mug from an overhead cupboard and turned to face the other two with a faint smile.

“It’s almost ready,” he told them softly, and Atem nodded his thanks.

“Yeah, but you’re all sweetening it to your own tastes,” Crow piped up from the stove, grey eyes watching the milk intently as he stirred it gently. “Sugar’s next to the mugs,” he added, pointing towards their general direction without lifting his gaze. Yusei bit back the soft chuckle; if there was one thing Crow liked, it was being good at what he did in the kitchen. He could just imagine the cursing and huffing that would fly free if he ever seriously spoiled one of his dishes. Even if it was just simple hot chocolate, he knew that his friend took pride in his abilities, so if anything were to go awry, it would end up with one pouting redhead.

Yusei could only picture Crow’s last visit to Martha’s, which resulted in him organising and ordering about a mini troop of chefs in her kitchen as he helped pull together a stew for everyone present. He’d only heard stories of it from Martha herself, but she made sure to point out that she was proud of not only Crow’s ability to handle that many kids at once, but to have them follow instructions and not completely ruin dinner. A feat that even she struggled with on some days.

After Crow announced everything was just right, he added the essential ingredient and stirred it through, warming it up to the perfect temperature and flicking the stove off in a practised swipe. One by one, mugs were filled with steaming hot liquid, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of chocolate. The pharaoh watched as Crow carefully ladled the contents of his pot into each of the waiting mugs, helping to slide each one to their respective owners. Surprisingly, it was Jack who had the largest sweet tooth of them all, and he had a generous spoonful of sugar to accompany his twin marshmallows. Atem came next, who merely preferred the sweet smell on its own, and a small handful of marshmallows bobbing around in his drink.

Yusei surprised the others by sweetening his drink ever so slightly, and Bruno could only smile at it, taking only a few white marshmallows for his and Crow’s.

The night was still cool, and the full swell of summer lay not too far off, so it was decided that they all head into the plaza with their treats and sit at the edge of the fountain. The cool splashing of the water behind them was more than soothing to Atem’s ears, and he found himself simply sitting with his eyes closed, listening to the gentle music. It was almost hard to think that a few days ago, he, Judai and Yusei had been struggling for their very lives against Paradox, and yet, here two of them sat.

The peaceful future that Yusei had fought so desperately to preserve stretched into a calm night before them. What conversation fluttered between the five of them was simple. Quiet. Each of them relaxed against the soothing sound of the water, the cool of the night, and hot chocolate in hand.

As Atem lifted the mug to his lips, partly hearing a conversation between Bruno and Crow, he caught the soft press of a half melted marshmallow to his nose and he drew back to stare at it briefly, automatically about to pick it from his drink and suck on it. Normally, he’d be quite content with plucking them from his mug one by one, but as of now, he was a little bound by the heaving great plaster about his arm. Sucking them out as he drank was out of the question; the few times he’d tried it always ended up as a noisy, sodden mess, despite his usually normal grace. He frowned in contemplation. Perhaps if he rested the mug on it and used his good hand to pluck them free, he’d be able to eat them like he used to.

He sat his cast a little closer to his chest, carefully and slowly balancing his mug atop it and letting it lean back a little into his shirt. He was watching it like a hawk so as not to spill any, and still had his hand braced about his mug, ready to dip into the hot liquid and pluck a sodden marshmallow from it, when Yusei glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

“Do you need a hand there?” he asked quietly, watching the pharaoh’s plight unfold. Crimson eyes glanced up at him, ducking back to his mug for a moment.

“At the moment, I’d be happy for two,” he replied with a faint smirk. Yusei could only mirror the expression as he placed his own mug to the side, reaching over to hold Atem’s for him. Grateful for the assistance, the duellist allowed the warm smile to cover his lips as he slipped two fingers past the brim of his mug. He easily plucked the first marshmallow from it, letting it drip a little back into his hot chocolate for a moment, before sliding it into his mouth and allowing the flavour to wash over him.

Unable to stop the contented sound from slipping out, he closed his eyes, utterly savouring it. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something incredible about the flavour; perhaps it was Crow’s method of cooking, perhaps the recipe for either key ingredient had changed over the years, or perhaps it was simply so long since he’d indulged that it tasted so good.

Whatever the reason, it didn’t stop him from plucking the second marshmallow from his drink, popping it into his mouth and letting it dissolve on his tongue for a moment. As he sucked his fingers clean, he turned to retrieve his mug from Yusei, only to find the duellist still watching him rather intently. Atem couldn’t quite pick the expression he was seeing in those blue eyes, only that he seemed rigidly neutral about something or other.

“Thank you; I hadn’t thought much about the loss of one hand until just now, really,” he said softly, pulling the mechanic only partially from his daze.

“It’s… don’t mention it,” he murmured softly, hastily reaching for his own mug and bringing it swiftly to his lips, ignoring the heat that burned down his throat. Atem had to wonder if perhaps he’d said the wrong thing to him, turning back to his own mug and sipping quietly from it. Yusei, on the other hand, had a mind buzzing with thoughts of just what the hell was going through the pharaoh’s mind.

Was any of that intentional? At all? He swallowed through a tight throat, trying to put the image he’d just witnessed out of his mind when his mouthful suddenly caught and he doubled over a little, coughing at the stinging sensation in his throat. He jerked his mug safely away, covering his mouth with his free hand as he rode out the coughing fit that struck him.

“Hey, hey, don’t go wasting my hot chocolate!” Crow snipped at him, regardless of his friend’s plight.

Yusei drew in a steadying breath, clearing his throat softly as the feeling began to fade; utterly glad for the impromptu reddening of his cheeks. At the very least, wandering eyes could be certain of something _else_ causing it now.

“Sorry, it just caught,” he replied hoarsely, giving another faint cough and patting his chest to help it along.

“Are you alright now?” the amused words caught his ears and he glanced down to see Atem watching him carefully. Yusei gave him a faint smile, staring evenly back at those eyes and returned the nod.

“I am, don’t worry,” he swallowed lightly, willing the sensation away. With another clearing cough of his throat, he brought his mug to his mouth, resting the rim of it to skin and letting the ceramic warm him gently. His mind was alight with fresh memory of those fingers ducking between lips; an image that simply would _not_ leave him, and he kept his gaze firmly away from the teen next to him.

There was no way it was possible, his harried mind hissed at him after running a dozen reasons through it. What was between them was merely a bond of friendship; something forged through a desperation of necessity and later on, a mutual interest of many things. Here, Atem was an impermanence; someone misplaced and merely looking for a way home. Yusei could only provide a temporary home and memory of an unforgettable adventure through time.

The light furrow found his brow and he felt fingers clench about his mug.

No. No, no, there was no way. The feeling that coiled in his stomach like a thousand writhing snakes and left his skin tingling wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to him, and he recalled only a handful of times when the sense of attraction had struck him through the course of his life.

Were he alone, and elsewhere but here, he would have buried his head in his hands. The duel with Paradox came rushing back to him, with those brilliant eyes boring into his soul and stripping his true intentions bare. No. _No way._

He lowered his mug to his lap, cradling it with both hands as he turned his eyes skywards, trying to quell his stomach. Suddenly, hot chocolate seemed to be the worst idea, and he swallowed lightly, trying to centre his thoughts and cease the clatter in his mind.

It was inconceivable, and yet, there it was right before him. The facts whirled about in his head, and he tried to pull them together to form some sort of cohesion. It was true by any stretch that the two of them had forged a strong bond during the events of that duel. Truer still, was the fact that Yusei had been the one bring him into their home and under his wing after his arrival. And then…

Then…

Blue eyes traced the stars without direction. Atem had been incredibly easy to talk to ever since the teen had first arrived in place of his other self; sweeping into action with all the ferocity of the King of Games. He exuded an aura that was infectiously friendly and made him so easy to trust. Almost too easy, Yusei mused, thinking over to his previous conversations with the pharaoh.

He had spoken to him of a past that both tied him and freed him, of a future that promised the same, of doubts that had plagued his mind like swooping vultures. Even if some facts were things that his closest friends knew, it still felt like a pull in his heart to share them with Atem. Explaining to him details of this era seemed like a thin excuse to his ears, now that he was thinking back on them in a different light, and he bit his lip lightly.

Yusei fought back the groan that wanted to dredge itself up from his chest.

He was never ready for this sensation, and it now left him hyper-aware of every little instance about him.

He harboured feelings for the King of Games.


	6. Chapter 6

Crimson eyes stared up into a sky that was not his own, mapping the stars that seemed so familiar, and yet utterly alien to him. The glow from the city about him muted their radiance, and they seemed dwarfed by the progress bustling beneath them.

It felt so strange to be sitting under the same stars, feeling so lost in a city that he used to call home but a few days ago.

He drew his gaze down from the heavens, staring into his empty mug as if it held all the answers for him. There was only so much a simple distraction could provide for him, and he felt his brow furrow; he still needed answers to his current situation, and time was an unknown factor here. Whilst he was grateful to Yusei and his friends for taking him in and welcoming him with open arms, Atem knew there could be no progress without action.

Once he had healed, he resolved to search for the answers he sought to their fullest. In the meantime, there were certainly things he could still do here; surely libraries or archives still existed in this time, and he would be able to access and utilise them to suit his needs.

What may still feel like the unknown future to him was this era’s history, and he intended to discover all that he could about what may have drawn him here. He placed his mug atop his cast and brought a loosely closed fist to his lips in thought, mulling it over.

If it had anything to do with the Crimson Dragon, he was still unsure as to what information he’d find. He’d possibly obtain more information from Yusei and the others than what he could on record. As to his own ties to the Puzzle…

Crimson eyes narrowed faintly as another thought shoulder into his mind.

In this era, people seemed to know of his life as the Nameless Pharaoh whose soul inhabited the Puzzle. Paradox, a man who had come from a supposed _ruined future_ knew of him and called him by title almost immediately upon arrival. Then again, if Paradox had been researching the past in order to target specific events in history, it was no wonder he was known to him. It still didn’t explain what had happened to make his story so well known to this world, however.

Clearly he and Yugi had left an impact on the world of Duel Monsters; enough to still be known so far into the future as the King of Games. Given both Crow and Jack’s reaction to him, it certainly wasn’t something to sneeze at, and it only warned him further to act cautiously in this era.

He closed his eyes as mulled over his plan once more in his mind. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but it was something he could implement well before he was healed, meaning a faster return to the proper order of things. It _did_ leave him wondering about things though; time travel certainly didn’t seem to have any strict laws to it, so far as he’d seen, leaving him to err on the side of caution rather than fall victim to some freakish occurrence.

Even so, he did have to wonder if any time had passed in his own time since his arrival here; would Yugi and the others even notice his disappearance, or would it be a mere glimmer of a second to them?

Atem gave a quiet sigh and lowered his hand to the empty mug sitting upon his cast. He understood enough about what had brought him here in the first place, but it was the devil in the details that made his thoughts whirl.

He had to wonder if Yusei was any wiser about time travel, or if his own adventure had been a little bit of a fluke.

The faint smile graced his lips at the thought of his newfound companion, yet it faltered as a hand slid into view, and he turned his eyes upwards to see Crow standing before him.

“We’re going to head back in for the night,” he told him simply, collecting the empty mug from his cast. “Wouldn’t want Jack to lose any of his beauty sleep time,” he added with a cheeky wink.

Atem couldn’t help but chuckle as he stood. The redhead had certainly grown on him, and reminded him strongly of his own best friend back in Domino City. He was almost hard placed to find any dissimilarities between Jounouchi and Crow; both were loyal to a fault, always able to bring a smile to faces about them, and had that same cheeky streak that ran through both of them.

It was enough to help him forget, for a moment, that this was Yusei’s era, and not his own, despite the comparison that arose in his mind.

As the five of them walked back into Poppo Time, Atem was faintly aware of the mechanic’s eyes upon him, and he glanced across to meet his gaze, crimson eyes unwavering in their focus.

“Is there something the matter?” he asked him softly, lingering at the door as the other three disappeared inside. The riding duellist came out of his daze for a moment, blinking back at the determination in those eyes. He gave a faint shake of his head, smiling softly at him.

“No, you just… caught me thinking how incredible the last few days have been,” he replied smoothly. “After everything that happened in the past, you winding up here was certainly something out of left field, and despite the ramifications of it, I’m… glad we met each other again.”

The pharaoh returned that faint smile with a warm one of his own, and he reached up to place a hand on the mechanic’s shoulder.

“Yusei, if there’s one thing in this life that I’m proud to say, it’s that I was able to meet with you a second time, regardless of the circumstances,” he told him, giving the teen’s shoulder a faint squeeze. “I’m proud to call you a friend, and I know you feel the same way.”

The riding duellist gave a soft nod. “I do, and I’m glad to know your thoughts are the same as mine,” came the simple words. He reached up, mirroring the pharaoh’s hold on his shoulder, and the two could only smile at each other, feeling the strength in their bond. Crimson eyes flicked away from Yusei’s for a brief moment, a soft chuckle falling from him.

“You seem to want to save your snacks for later more often than you should,” he said simply as their hands fell away from each other, noting the faint smear of hot chocolate still lining Yusei’s lip. The mechanic blinked at him for a moment before the penny dropped and he snuck the tip of his tongue out, swiping his upper lip.

“No, no, on the other-”

Again, Yusei attempted to clean it away, but he was stopped in his tracks as Atem began to laugh softly at him.

“Here, let me,” came the pharaoh’s soft words, and he reached up, gently running his thumb across the offending smudge. The scant seconds it took were whirling like hours in his head, and Yusei all but had to force himself not to tense at the idle contact. Especially when crimson eyes ducked back up to his as Atem finished, contact lingering between them a little more than should have been necessary. Yusei could practically taste the change in the air between them all of a sudden, and he swallowed lightly.

“There,” Atem breathed softly, allowing fingers to ghost away as he watched those blue eyes intently. “All better.”

No, Yusei’s mind instantly replied. No, it’s _not_.

He bit back the reply, choosing instead to mutely nod at the teen, feeling the quiet moment stretching further between them. Atem felt his fingers curl at his side, something in his fingertips tingling from the brief contact. Yusei’s gaze was intently upon him, and he could tell that there was something wringing through his mind in a desperate fashion. What it was, he… certainly had a notion, but what could he say to it?

The pharaoh’s mind suddenly felt as harried as Yusei’s when his own realisation stirred. Everything he had said and done with the teen since arriving here… Even beforehand, against Paradox, during the duel- By the gods, everything replayed in his mind in a rapidfire shot of images and voices and laughter and sensation. Atem felt something constrict in his stomach and fingers pinched lightly at a seam in his pants, lest they start fidgeting further.

He should have realised sooner. Noticed, yes, he’d _certainly_ done that, but to actually _realise it_ was another story, and he found himself hissing a soft curse into his thoughts. An interest had arisen within him upon first sight of the teen, yes, and his intriguing story did little else but add fuel to that fire, but he also knew that his stay in their era was ephemeral. Their bond, however strong, should only have lasted as a memory between them all.

Atem’s arrival in Yusei’s era changed… _everything._

It was with a soft start as he dragged himself away from his mind that the pharaoh allowed his eyes to duck away for a moment, feeling his mouth as dry as sand on a summer’s day. What could be said to Yusei to ascertain if… if he also…

“We should… head inside,” the quiet murmur fell from Atem’s lips, despite how detached the sound felt from him. He had no notion of what to say to the riding duellist; a loss of words being something he’d rarely felt in his life. “Your friends will be wondering what’s happened to us.” The faint smile returned to those lips as he gazed back at Yusei once more.

Blue eyes watched him with keen interest, wondering what had briefly shot through Atem’s mind to cause such a shift within him; the air between them dissipating. Had he maybe said something or reacted the wrong way about him? The questions suddenly wrenched through his mind and he glanced away, still able to keep the ghost of a smile upon his lips and nodding all the same.

“Yeah, that… that sounds good…” came the quiet reply. “Ah, here,” he added, stepping past Atem to grasp the doorknob, trying not to let his thoughts linger on the heady beat of his heart. Whatever had just passed between them… he didn’t know what it could have been, but he knew of his own feelings on the matter. Did that, just now… did that have some deeper meaning to the pharaoh as well? Or was he simply looking far too deeply into this?

All at once, his mind shot back to those deep amethyst eyes staring into his very soul during the duel. No, his mind whispered, he already knew what that look felt like. Something far exceeding it was behind those eyes just now, and he bit his bottom lip as he pushed the door open for both of them.

He was almost thankful for the warmth within the workshop as he stepped aside to let Atem pass; it would give him a valid excuse to remain ignorant to the colour threatening to bleed across his cheeks. The pharaoh lingered on the ramp, waiting for the teen before they both headed upstairs to where the others sat.

Jack glanced up at their entrance. “And here we thought you got lost,” he said simply. Atem gave a faint chuckle, fingers slipping about a golden lock of his fringe and fiddling with it absent-mindedly.

“At least I have a valid excuse for that one,” he replied smoothly. The blond could only smirk faintly at that, leaning back in his seat as arms folded across his chest.

“You certainly didn’t miss much, aside from Crow falling asleep, that is,” he added, shooting a glance over to the redhead who was currently yawning his head off. Ginger brows furrowed sharply at the comment mid-yawn and he shot a punch to Jack’s shoulder.

“Knock it off; I’ve been up and working since daybreak, you jerk,” came the grumbled reply. Jack could only scoff at that, which further irritated the duellist. “At least _some of us_ know what that feels like.”

The air about the former King frosted over. “Then I suppose it’s _my_ fault that there are people who don’t appreciate me for who I really am? Being around those kinds of people is little more than a waste of my time.”

“I think we’ve all had our share of being around people we don’t like, Jack,” Bruno added from his place next to him, hoping to placate the ensuing wrath from flaring between the two. Honestly, it was as if spatting with each other was their way of showing they appreciated the other’s company. “If anything, when there are situations like that, it makes you appreciate the people in your life that you _do_ like being around.”

At the words, there was a mutual grumbling of agreement from the two on the couch. It wasn’t as if they didn’t like each other; they were friends, sure, but they just rubbed each other the wrong way most times, and often times, just for fun.

Across the room, none of the three noticed either Yusei or Atem’s gaze duck pointedly away from each other, so as not to accidentally cross gazes. If anything, Bruno’s words did little else but twist into them even further, sending already flaring nerves into the forefront of their minds all over again.

“Yeah, alright,” Crow muttered as he rubbed his ear idly, looking little else but disgruntled. “Che, well I need to start my run early tomorrow, so I’m going to hit the sack.” He stood up and stretched his arms high over his head, joints popping softly with the action. With a heavy sigh, they flopped back to his side once more and he waved idly over his shoulder, heading towards the ladder.

Bruno smiled as he watched him go, breathing a quiet sigh of his own as he stood. “I should probably follow him; I’ll need to have an early start to continue work on our engine tomorrow.” He waved at the other two with a warm smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow Atem, Yusei.”

“Ah, goodnight Bruno,” the pharaoh replied, returning the smile as the man followed the same path up the ladder.

Jack gave a faint hmph as he closed his eyes briefly. “Fine, if that’s the case with everyone, I’m going to head out,” he said as he stood, already walking towards the stairs.

“Don’t give up your beauty sleep, princess!” Crow’s voice shot from upstairs with a laugh, and Jack turned on his heel, fist clenching before him as rage bristled across his every pore.

“Why don’t you come down here and say that instead of staying up there like the coward you are, you rat!” the blond shot back as Crow’s disappearing laughter echoed from upstairs. Yusei could only suppress a faint sigh as he closed his eyes briefly.

“Jack…” came the murmured groan of his name. He knew he should be used to this kind of argument between them by now, but every so often, he really did wish they would give it a rest, especially when there was company present. The blond, thankfully, either seemed to share Yusei’s thoughts, or simply couldn’t be bothered to finish the disagreement, and he turned away from the ladder with a snort.

“I don’t have to stay here and put up with the likes of his bad manners,” he groused, already storming past the two duellists. Yusei caught his arm before he got too far, and frowning blue eyes locked onto irritated violet.

“Just take it easy out there,” he told him simply, letting his fingers relax on the taller man’s arm. He paused for a moment before letting the faint smile cross his expression. “Wouldn’t want any opponents to think you’re too hard to duel.”

Jack watched his friend carefully for a moment before he gave a faint huff, pulling out of his grasp without irritation. Of course Yusei knew exactly what to say to help calm the storm that was Jack Atlas, though it still didn’t stop him from feeling irritated at Crow. A riding duel, however, seemed like the perfect way to calm his blistering restlessness, and naturally Yusei knew this was what he had planned.

Yusei seemed to know these things about him, even if he only acted on a handful of them at any given time; despite his spine for most situations, he still had moments of reservation about acting entirely on impulse.

“If they think I’m too much of a challenge, then they shouldn’t even be duelling,” he answered him sternly, straightening with the proud words. “Even I have my standards, though, and I would never refuse a duel with an honest duellist, regardless of how weak they may be.”

With that said, he turned on his heel and continued his trail downstairs, leaving Yusei to breathe an internal quiet sigh; at least now he wouldn’t be so reckless once he got out there on the Wheel of Fortune, but he still worried over his friend. He knew Jack was fiery and rash, but he still had to feel concern whenever he stormed off somewhere in a seething rage to go for a ride.

“He’ll be fine,” Atem’s quiet voice slipped into his thoughts and blue eyes glanced over to him. From the workshop, the explosive ignition of the Wheel of Fortune could be heard, but Yusei’s mind sat elsewhere. Had the pharaoh easily picked his thoughts from the air as if it were written on his face? He smiled faintly at him as fingers grasped his shoulder, squeezing gently.

He still didn’t know what this current between them was, but he could only hope it lingered.

“He will be,” Yusei replied softly. “He’s volatile at the best of times, but he’s not entirely reckless. Give him a few hours to blow off some steam and he’ll be alright.”

Atem gave a warm smile at that before Yusei realised something, eyes widening with the stray thought.

“That reminds me,” he continued. “If you’re staying here tonight, even though it’s a little awkward, it’s probably better to take my room. I’m used to sleeping in the workshop so it won’t bother me when Jack comes back later.”

The pharaoh allowed a wry smile to cross his lips. “And break your promise to Zora? Yusei, I’m surprised at you.”

Yusei hesitated for a moment before he realised what Atem was implying, and he laughed softly, reaching up to rub sheepishly at his neck, glancing away for a moment.

“I suppose I am. Though I doubt she’ll mind, if it’s in order to make you more comfortable,” he told him simply, and that was that. Atem gave a faint nod and glanced over at the ladder, sizing it up. He recalled Yusei saying there was an entrance to the next level through the front of the shop, but assumed it was certainly locked up by now. If that was the case, then his only option was to scale the ladder with his arm as it was.

True, it would be a little awkward, but he could certainly manage a simple issue such as that.

“Then I’m sure everything will be fine,” he said finally, returning his gaze to the mechanic. Yusei gave a soft nod at his words, smiling back at him.

“Alright, I’ll spot you,” he added as the two of them headed towards the ladder. Crimson eyes gazed up at it once more, glad that it wasn’t too high, and he reached for the first rung, assessing the climb before him.

Muscles pulled taut as he easily hoisted himself up, and he slipped his other arm – cast and all – through the second rung, allowing it to tuck close to his body and hold himself there as he reached for the next one; repeating the process all over again. Yusei was a little surprised at how quickly he’d begun to scale it, and was wondering if he’d even be needed to keep an eye on him. At this rate, he had to wonder if he’d even need to stay with Zora for the duration of his recovery.

It wasn’t at all long before the two of them had ascended to the next floor, and Atem could feel those blue eyes watching him carefully; looking for any sign of his injury flaring up. He turned to him with a warm smile, shaking his head softly.

“Don’t worry, I’m quite alright,” he told him smoothly, reaching down to gently knock on his cast. “See? Not a problem.”

The mechanic couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Sorry. I guess I do worry about you hurting yourself again. Especially since you initially _got_ that because of me,” he admitted softly, leading the two of them up the hallway.

“Yusei, enough,” Atem told him, pulling him to a stop with a gentle hand on his arm. “I got this because of my carelessness. Not due to any fault of your own. The only thing I want you to take responsibility for is showing me my way about this city of yours, is that clear?”

Blue eyes could do little else but watch the pharaoh’s soft tirade against, and he gave a silent nod, smiling faintly at him.

“You do realise this isn’t the first time you’ve lectured me on something,” he replied in quiet amusement.

“And well I should,” came the instant response. “Yusei, there are some things that are beyond your control; sometimes, you simply need to let them happen and learn from them as time goes on.”

Silence fell between them as the words seemed to resound through both their minds in that moment, and Yusei could only stare back at the pharaoh, realising the weight of meaning behind them. Of course he could hear their intended meaning, but it was what _else_ they told him of his current situation that gave him room to pause.

“I… I understand,” came the softly hesitant words. He swallowed lightly as he reached up, covering Atem’s hand with his own as blue eyes never once wavered from the pharaoh’s, all but hearing his heart thudding in his ears. “Whatever is beyond my control… I know that sometimes it’s daunting, but I refuse to side-step it. Not when I can face it head on.”

A beat of time followed his words, and he drew a steadying breath.

“Not when you’re here to believe in me,” he finished softly.

Fingers squeezed his shoulder gently and crimson eyes spoke volumes of satisfaction at his simple answer. Even though Yusei felt his heart racing like a rabbit’s, he couldn’t help but smile warmly at the teen.

Atem parted his lips, fully intent on speaking his piece once more, but he found that nothing would come to him in that moment. Crimson eyes flicked down briefly, taking in the warm smile that sat upon Yusei’s lips and he took in a short breath. That heavy moment from before had blanketed them once more, except this time, each of them knew what its cause spun from.

“Yusei…”

The spill of his name was like a whisper between them and the riding duellist felt something in his chest tighten at the sound of that voice. Fingers uncurled from the hand at his shoulder and before he could even think about what he was doing, he felt the graze of warm fabric at his fingertips as they brushed Atem’s chest.

“I… I think-”

The words died on Yusei’s lips as both sets of ears heard the sudden click of a lock from the end of the hall, and with all the force of a coiled spring snapping in two, they jerked almost violently apart from each other, staring like startled gazelles along the seemingly empty hallway.

Bruno stepped out from his room, oblivious to the scene he had interrupted, and waved at the two of them, heading to the ladder. “Just realised I left my book downstairs,” he explained without question. “Ah, you’re heading to bed, too?”

For a moment, Yusei was unsure if he could trust his voice or not, and even as he opened his mouth to reply, Atem’s words answered for him.

“Yes, I… we found out that the ladder wasn’t… so much of an issue for me, so I’ll be sleeping up here tonight,” he replied, surprising the both of them with how relatively normal he sounded. “That and Jack won’t be back for a few hours, so it’s a better option than sleeping in the workshop.”

Bruno gave a soft laugh. “That’s understandable. Jack can be a little noisy sometimes,” he said jovially. “Well, I’ll see you two in the morning then,” he added, already stepping down the ladder and disappearing from sight.

For the longest moment, both simply stood there, listening to the sound of Bruno stepping deeper into the workshop. Atem felt his heart sitting thick in his throat as he dared a sidelong glance at Yusei. What the hell had the poor man nearly walked in on? Worse still; if he had been another few seconds, there was no telling what _else_ he could have stumbled upon.

That sobering thought was enough to cause him to swallow though the tightness that sat in his throat.

“Yusei, I…” he began, feeling his words falter.

“We should head to my room,” came the quick reply, and crimson eyes locked onto deep blue. The mechanic only held his gaze for a moment, still seeing… _something_ swimming in their depths, but it was enough to leave his throat dry. He turned his gaze onto the ladder. “Just in case… well…”

Atem caught on to what he intended to say almost instantly, and he straightened, nodding softly. “Right, that sounds like a good idea,” he agreed softly, and quiet footfalls followed the two of them along the hallway. For the quiet moments that pursued them, Yusei could almost believe that there was not a line of tension strung taut between them. His hand fell to his doorknob and he paused, wanting to bring voice to it, but not wanting to do so just yet.

First thing first, his mind warned him. This was not a matter to be discussed in the open, that was for sure, and he closed his eyes briefly, pushing open his door and allowing Atem to step into the darkened room. Crimson eyes swept over every little facet and object within the four walls almost instantly; letting each of them tell him a story about their owner.

A bed piled with a mass of blankets beneath a large window allowing moonlight to flood through, a desk with almost every surface covered in blueprints and stationary and measuring sets, next to it sat a bookshelf heavily laden with tomes, though he had to doubt if there was anything in there that Yusei could not speak at length about.

To the casual eye, it was a cluttered mass of everything, but to Atem, he could see that despite how noisy it appeared, everything sat precisely. There was a place and order to each of the objects in his room, and he could tell Yusei took pride in what he owned.

The door clicked shut behind him and he turned to find Yusei standing with his eyes downturned, a pensive look about him. He could almost hear those thoughts whirling through his head with all the turbulence of a storm. As if wringing himself from his daze, Yusei glanced up at the pharaoh, catching his eyes as they stared at each other for a moment.

A quiet sound snuck through the air, and it took Atem a moment to realise Yusei had snickered; the only tell being the hand that snuck up to his mouth to hide the curl of his lips. Try as he might, he couldn’t hold in the sound, and he laughed softly as the tension from moments ago bled away from him. Soon enough, Atem found himself joining him and it was almost too much for either of them to keep quiet.

The pharaoh felt the anxious knot in his chest unwind as he wiped the moisture from his eyes, unable to keep the broad smile from his lips as his laughter tapered out.

“S-Sorry about that,” Yusei breathed, smiling with the same intensity as he held his stomach. Atem held up a hand to quiet him.

“Don’t worry about it. I think if you hadn’t of started, I would’ve,” he replied simply. He took in a steadying breath, feeling the last of his sudden mirth bleeding away and casting his eyes about the duellist’s room. As cluttered as it was, it felt… homely. Yusei watched his gaze follow the lines of his room and he gave a warm chuckle.

“It’s a little messy, I know…” he admitted softly, looking a little sheepish once more.

“Not at all,” Atem corrected him quickly. “It’s wonderfully neat, and I don’t mind anyway. It tells me more about you.”

Blue eyes held firm on crimson for a moment as he weighed what was said to him. He couldn’t help but feel as if it were a high compliment coming from the pharaoh and he smiled softly at it.

“All good, I hope…” the breath of words fell from him, and Atem already knew he had no reply for him. What had stirred between them minutes ago swirled into life within the pharaoh and he could only return the warm smile, nodding sincerely at him. He turned to face him fully from where the riding duellist stood against the door, wanting to feel more of that taut line that had drawn them together earlier. Curiosity, it seemed, was one of his biggest vices, and he certainly wasn’t about to stifle it now.

Crimson eyes lingered on that smile once more before ducking away entirely, feeling the sudden swarm of nerves returning to his stomach and knowing that meeting those blue eyes would only make it worse. He almost had to berate himself for it; for all the trials he had faced, and yet this one feeling caused him to stumble so fiercely.

_Not when I can face it head on._

Yusei’s words from earlier echoed in his mind, and he realised with a sudden resolve that the mechanic wasn’t shying from this like he was. If he had the nerve to face this and meet his gaze, then so too, would Atem, and he lifted his eyes to find blue eyes already watching him.

Even so, it didn’t stop him from simply watching those blue eyes in the darkness of the room, feeling the warmth rising from the teen before him. Yusei swallowed lightly, feeling his own knot of nerves squirm within his stomach, but it almost had no bearing on his actions as he allowed a hand to reach up, mirroring his movement from before; fingertips pressing to the teen’s chest. Even through his gloves, he felt the heavy thud of the heart within and he realised it was going at the same jackrabbit pace of his own.

Eyes broke from their gaze to follow the line of his fingers as they traced upwards along warm fabric, reaching the bare span of his collarbone and trailing along his neck. Under the gentle contact, Atem swallowed lightly, and it was only when the intimate touch reached his cheek, holding warmly, that those blue eyes returned to his own.

“Atem…” the name bled between them like a ghost and Yusei soon felt the sneaking press of a warm hand covering his own and holding it in place. Crimson eyes fluttered closed as if savouring the warm contact at his cheek and Yusei felt his throat constrict at the sight.

Fingers brushed a trail along his arm, warmth tingling in their wake as the pharaoh mirrored the trail Yusei had taken; letting his hand settle atop the teen’s sternum, feeling the beat of his heart beneath. A warm smile settled faintly upon his lips and he closed his eyes, feeling the strong rhythm beneath his fingers.

The content murmur fell from him in a breath.

But he was not yet content, and he met that steady gaze once more.

“Yusei…” the pharaoh breathed the name with quiet reverence as he was drawn into those blue eyes. He hadn’t actually realised how close he had moved to the teen before he glanced down at the lips that sat mere inches from his own. He realised he didn’t care for what brought him here, or why; all that he saw or felt or wanted was right before him.

Crossing that final distance, Atem pressed his lips to Yusei’s, feeling the sharp intake of breath hitching beneath his fingertips and warmth spilling between where they met. The soft sound slipped from Yusei’s throat and Atem felt the hand at his cheek shift as fingers laced through dark hair.

The pharaoh pressed himself as close as he could to the body before him, wanting more of the heat that bled from him like a drug. His cast sat awkwardly between them and hindered them just enough for Atem to feel frustration well within him. He parted from the soft kiss almost as quickly as it began, but his hand was already tugging at the sling that held his cast against his chest, almost desperate to free it.

It was gone in a few irritating heartbeats before lips met once more, bodies pressed flush to one another as heady fervour ran through them. What had begun as a mere taste had soon turned to a flood of need as the tension between them snapped, and Yusei soon found both his hands threading through Atem’s hair; the pharaoh’s clutching at his waist and holding him fast against the door.

Need shot through both of the like lightning, setting their skin alight, and it was as if they couldn’t get enough of the other underneath lips, hands, their entire being. Everything between them had led to this moment and Atem felt he could barely breathe for the feeling that swelled in his chest.

Yusei felt a faint swipe of warmth brush across his lips and he parted them instantly, allowing moist heat to join his own. The soft groan spilled into the air between them and desire squirmed deep in his stomach. What he wanted – what they _both wanted –_ was not something that could happen here and now, especially with circumstances as they were, but god above, Yusei did not want to be the one to part from this.

Atem could almost feel the faint note of hesitation rising from the teen before and fingers gave a light squeeze from where they sat, parting from the heat of his mouth. Foreheads pressed together and their breath came in needy pants, both sets of eyes remaining closed as they allowed themselves to simply feel.

The bond that had built steadily between them had shattered like a dam wall, and desire crashed into each other in a wanton need. What had started with a mere glance across a battlefield had resulted in a yearning that sat in their very souls, and both was as glad as the other that fate had allowed them a second chance.

Crimson eyes slivered open, watching the face so close to his own, and the warm smile ghosted across his lips. Fingers shifted from their place upon Yusei’s hip, reaching up to brush a thumb across the line of his marker, tracing the sharp edge in simple affection, the only sound between them the quiet hitch of their breath.

Yusei opened his eyes at the touch, feeling something unwind within his chest at the look within those eyes. The smile graced his lips before he even gave it thought, and he felt a deep sense of peace settle upon him in the wake of their heated meeting. A hand slipped back from thick hair, mirroring the action from the pharaoh as fingertips traced a cheek where his own marker would sit.

Both could only stand there so close to one another, smiling softly into the darkness as they were content in the warmth surrounding them. Atem allowed eyes to close briefly, a soft sound falling from him as words wrestled within his mind. In the end, he knew he only needed one.

“Yusei…” the breath of a name began, barely audible between them.

Blue eyes felt focus stir in their gaze once more at the call, and the pharaoh stared up at him yet again, determination settling upon his smile.

“Stay.”

The word was little more than a gentle request, but to the riding duellist, it was all he could ever want to hear from him. He knew he could not step from this room after what had occurred between them. He wouldn’t.

His thumb brushed warmly across the pharaoh’s cheek and he pressed his lips in a featherlight kiss to Atem’s, a breath of a sigh falling between them.

“I will…”

The smile warmed his entire expression as he held the teen close, wanting nothing more in the world than to stay right where he was. He didn’t care what tomorrow would bring for either of them, so long as he could hold this warmth within his hands and keep it close to him through the night.

Yusei felt contentment fall upon him as they stood together, wanting nothing more than the warmth of the other as night stretched around them.


	7. Chapter 7

Dawn tinted the room a pale mauve as the sun began to slip its warm hues into the velvet night sky. At the soft lightening of the room, the figure under the blanket stirred, sleepily parting crimson eyes from within his dark cocoon. Warmth surrounded him, threatening to drag him back into the blissful world of slumber as he lay on his side, but he fought against it, knowing that oversleeping would simply make him tired for the remainder of the day.

Fingers slipped up through the dark little bubble and reached for the hem of the blankets piled upon him, not ready for the cool bite of air that snuck in. As light filtered through, he pulled down the thick material enough to peer out of the window he faced.

The plaza lay asleep in the pre-dawn, the only stirrings of life within this little corner of the world being the continual gurgle of the fountain, and two stray sparrows taking their early morning dip at its edge.

A faint smile spread across his lips as his sleep fogged mind took in the scene. High in the sky, stars still clung to the night and he felt himself drifting easily back into a calm sense of nothingness.

There was a shift of pressure behind him, warmth pressing closer to his back as the blankets rustled slightly. At the soft curl of an arm about his stomach, Atem could only draw a short breath.

In a heartbeat, he felt more awake than ever before and the events of the previous night burned through him like a shot, feeling his pulse stagger as Yusei’s arm held him close. A murmur of sleep fell from the teen behind him and Atem blinked a little, wondering briefly through his shock if he were the kind to talk in his sleep. He was about to shift about in his steady hold when he felt warmth blossom at the back of his neck and he couldn’t stifle the soft gasp as lips brushed exposed skin.

As unintentional as it was, it felt horrendously good and he almost missed the way the teen behind him stilled.

Yusei pulled himself from the last vestiges of his slumber, surprised at first to see the colour of dawn streaking across the sky, but second of all to finding he’d actually managed to sleep through the night. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d managed to sleep so solidly and blearily attributed that to the form currently sharing his blanket. He blinked sluggishly at the warm figure he found himself spooning in the early hours of the morning as lips brushed along a pale neck.

He smiled faintly to himself as he closed his eyes once more, savouring the feel of the teen so close to him and traced the tip of his nose further up into that wild mop of hair.

“… now I _know_ you’re not asleep…” came the faint murmur from in front of him.

Yusei allowed the soft chuckle to bleed through dark hair as he stilled. “… mmm, only for a little while…” he breathed. Another soft nuzzle against warm skin was enough to draw the contented swell in Atem’s chest to light once more. “How did you sleep?”

The pharaoh gave a quiet sigh as he slipped his hand down to cover Yusei’s wrist, holding it gently and simply enjoying the closeness. It felt almost strange to him; like his life had hit a fast forward and he couldn’t believe what was happening about him. True, it was already in the stages of some bizarre fast forward when he’d first found himself in Yusei’s era, but to think that last night…

He closed his eyes, feeling so utterly glad that the boundaries between them had crumbled away to nothing, and he was able to stay here with the duellist holding him in the early morning light. Even if he had no clue what had brought him here, even if there were things about them that neither of them could explain, they were both content in the warmth they shared, just like this.

A thumb brushed idly across the smooth skin beneath, and he felt that heated tingle rise within his palm once more. Atem blinked eyes open as he drew his hand away, not wanting to stir that burning response within Yusei’s skin, but the reaction had already begun.

Yusei’s eyes remained firmly upon the sight that lay before him, not moving from the teen’s neck. He could feel the first whisper of heat through the mark etched into his arm, knowing why it had flared. They still had to find out exactly what that meant, and it was a gentle reminder of something they shared, a bond between them that ran further than attraction, despite the ramifications it spoke of.

Atem gave a faint sigh, drawing his gaze back to the window once more, following the last star in the sky as it winked out of sight.

“Better than ever…” he murmured, though his voice lacked the conviction his words wished to convey.

The arm about his stomach merely tightened its hold, holding him close as if it were the only thing in the world capable of keeping safe from harm, him right where he was.

To Yusei’s mind, it was all that mattered.

***

Feet pounded heavily on the pavement leading up to Poppo Time as a thousand watt smile beamed from the boy’s face. His schoolbag bounced against his back as he ran, but he hardly paid it any mind as he all but slammed a hand on the wall with a triumphant whoop; his other hand punching into the air.

Golden eyes glanced over his shoulder as he swiped a lock of teal hair from his vision. “Ha! Beat you again, Ruka!” he shot to his approaching sister, who was jogging lightly to catch up to the boy. Thin brows frowned at him as she drew to a stop, breathing slightly laboured from the sudden burst of speed she needed to catch up to him.

“Honestly, you don’t start a race without telling the other person,” she scolded him lightly. She took in a steadying breath as she willed her heart rate to come down once more, a hand pressing to her chest.

“Where’s the fun in that? Everything’s gotta be a surprise in my books!” he said with a proud laugh. His sister only shook her head as she brushed past him, bringing his laughter to a standstill as she pressed a hand to the door. When it remained closed under her touch, he blinked over at her, wondering what was happening to cause her to still like that.

“Ruka?”

She lifted her hand from the door, letting it settle upon her stomach as worried eyes stared at something unseen before her.

“There’s something… something wrong…” she whispered, causing her brother to glance up at the door before them, concern flashing through his features.

“Is it Yusei or the others?” he pressed, turning his gaze back to her, fresh worry surging through him. “Ah, they’re not in trouble, are they?” Ruka immediately shook her head, glancing up at the door before them.

“No, it’s not them,” she replied, firm in her words. She _knew_ it wasn’t them, so what had caused the reaction deep within her? It felt familiar, but- The girl drew a sudden gasp of realisation. “It’s something close by. Come on, we need to tell Yusei about it,” she added, grabbing his hand and tugging the door open, all but dragging him inside and oblivious to his protests.

“Yusei!” she called, spying the riding duellist hard at work upon the Wheel of Fortune. Blue eyes glanced over his shoulder at the newcomer, and he waved over to them. The twins jogged over to him as he stood up, wiping a gloved hand across his sweaty brow to deposit a faint smudge of oil in return.

“Ruka, Rua, good to see you again,” he said with a faint smile, wiping his gloves upon an old rag. “What brings you two here?”

Rua gave a faint snort, finally tugging himself free from his sister’s grasp, rubbing his wrist lightly. “Well we _were_ here to hang out and see how that new engine was doing, but Ruka’s got something more important than that to tell you,” he explained simply. The girl gave a brief nod, staring worriedly up at the teen.

“It’s about that feeling I got last week,” she began, one hand unconsciously coming up to rest upon her Signer mark. “I don’t know why, but just now, when we got here, I felt it again.” She saw Yusei sober instantly at those words and her brow furrowed further. “Yusei, none of you are hurt or in trouble, right?”

He opened his mouth to speak, about to assure her of that, before hesitating for a brief second as realisation struck him. They didn’t know about Atem. It had all happened in such a rush that neither Aki nor the twins had been told of his arrival. Biting back the curse upon his tongue he reached up to run a hand through his hair.

“No, it’s none of us,” he replied through a sigh. “Although I bet I know where it’s coming from. After the duel with Paradox, something happened when the Crimson Dragon returned me to this era, and the spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh found his way here, instead of staying put.”

Rua’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as Ruka listened to Yusei’s story with interest. “You say his spirit… you mean the actual duellist – Yugi Mutou – isn’t the person staying with you?” she pressed.

“Ruka, does it _matter?_ ” Rua suddenly exploded from next to her, causing the other two to startle. “Either way, it’s the King of Games – the _actual_ King of Games, Ruka! – staying here in our very city! With Yusei! This is so _cool!_ ” The boy almost couldn’t contain his excitement as he practically danced on the spot.

“Calm down,” his sister told him quietly, turning her gaze back to the teen. “Yusei, this has me worried.”

“How can you be worried about this?” Rua interrupted once more, his glee overshadowing the true meaning behind the conversation. “Yugi or the spirit; it doesn’t even matter! Both are the King of Games, right?”

“Rua!” his sister chided him sharply, and the look in her eyes brought him back down to earth in an instant, leaving him to poke his forefingers together meekly. “I’m worried about it because it’s the same thing I felt when Yusei returned to us. If it’s related to the pharaoh’s spirit then something could be very wrong.” Rua held her gaze for a moment, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy as he lowered his eyes.

“You don’t have to yell about it…” he murmured.

“Ruka,” both sets of eyes turned to face the riding duellist, who was watching the girl intently. “This is only the second time you’ve felt it, right?” A brief nod met his question and he gave a faint noise of thought. “The first was when he arrived, but just now… Does it feel _exactly_ the same? There’s not a single thing different about it?” The tone of his voice was firm, almost surprising the girl with its strength as he asked about the other duellist’s welfare.

She hesitated a moment, knowing he was asking a lot of her to ascertain the truth of the matter. Brows furrowed lightly as she glanced away, thinking back to the thud of her heart in her chest some minutes ago. Had it truly felt… the same? Ruka pursed her lips slightly, not entirely sure of herself and she shook her head faintly.

“I don’t know…” she replied softly, meeting his firm gaze once more. “I… I could be wrong about what it means, but I really can’t say. If his presence is strong enough, it could be what I’m sensing. Like a… a residual effect.”

At her quiet words, Yusei realised the line of tension that was sitting in his shoulders and he forced himself to breathe; blue eyes closing as he gave a drawn-out sigh. It wouldn’t do to release this sudden surge of worry onto Ruka, and he knew he was being a little forceful with his questioning.

“It’s alright,” he replied finally, smiling faintly back at her once more. “Sorry about that; I’m just a little concerned, considering the same feeling followed his arrival here. He’s out with Bruno right now, but they should be back soon.” The words left him easily enough, but the concern was still sitting in the pit of his stomach. Was Ruka’s warning to be taken seriously as of right now? Was something happening to them without their knowing? Dark brows furrowed and he tugged a glove off, walking to the nearby phone and bringing up a familiar number. It wouldn’t hurt to check… right?

The tone was soft in his ear as it rang out for a moment. He felt the urge to bite his bottom lip on the fifth ring but squashed it down, knowing there should be nothing to worry about.

“Ah, Yusei! What’s up?”

At the sound of the mechanic’s voice, he let out the quiet breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. “Bruno,” he almost sighed in relief. “Ruka and Rua are here, and she’s a little concerned about Atem. Is everything alright with you two?”

A moment of silence met his words as he processed the sudden left-field question. “Of course it is; we’re just on the other side of the plaza now,” came the soft reply. “He’s been a great help, too. I don’t know what you told him about the engine we’re building, but I haven’t had to explain much along the way.”

Yusei felt the faint smile tug at the corner of his lips, relief still sitting in his chest. “He’s certainly quick on the uptake,” he affirmed for the man. “Alright, I’ll see you two shortly.” With that, he hung up the phone, placing it upon the table once more.

Ruka stepped in beside him, casting concerned golden eyes to the teen. He glanced down at her and shook his head, still wearing that faint smile of relief, but her words caught him before he could open his mouth to speak.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised softly. “It just felt so strong. I didn’t mean to make you worry about it.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, watching her intently. “Ruka, I’m glad you told me. There’s still a lot of things about his appearance here that we don’t understand, so whenever you _do_ get these feelings, we would never ignore them,” he told her softly. She nodded in return, before her expression brightened.

“About that,” she began. “He’s the spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh. I don’t know how much help it would be, but I can see if there’s anything that Regulus or the Ancient Fairy Dragon know about him.” Yusei’s smile grew faintly, and he gave her shoulder a faint squeeze.

“Anything at all would be a big help,” he replied simply, lowering his hand once more. “I’ve been looking for information since he got here, but so far I’ve found nothing concrete.” Rua glanced between the two, stepping over to them with his hands behind his back.

“Hey, ah, not to change the subject or anything, but you said he’d be here soon, right?” he asked hopefully. Ruka gave a sigh and shook her head as the conversation was put on hold, and Yusei merely nodded at him as the boy brightened like a light bulb. “Do you think he’d say yes if I asked him to duel me??” The words all but exploded from him in glee, leaving blue eyes to blink at their force.

“I don’t see why not; Jack’s already asked him the same thing.”

Rua’s expression instantly fell to one of pure tragedy. “No way… Jack already beat me! Yusei, this is why you should’ve told us about him earlier!” he groused, folding his arms firmly across his chest in a huff. His sister placed a hand to his shoulder, offering the boy a smile as he rode through his emotions like a yo-yo.

“Think of it this way; you only know what’s in his deck from school, right?” she told him. “As he duels Jack, you’ll be able to see what else he has; what his strengths and weaknesses and strategies are.” Rua gave a faint snort and closed his eyes briefly, looking every bit the pouting, defiant child.

“It’s not the same! He doesn’t know what _I’ve_ got in my deck, so I don’t see why having that advantage over him is better! If I’m going to face the King of Games, it’s going to be as an equal!” he finished sharply, turning from the two of them and stomping over to the couch. Yusei and his sister watched him as he whipped out his deck, hastily going through the motion of spreading his cards out upon the table and scrutinising each one; carefully selecting only the best to challenge the pharaoh. Ruka could only stifle the soft laugh as she went to join her brother, providing him with a set of eyes that weren’t burning in stubborn determination.

Yusei could only sigh as he pulled off his other glove, tossing both on the nearby bench finally. Of course Atem wouldn’t deny Rua the chance to duel him; as it was, there was a bit of a line in order to do so already, what with Jack waiting in the wings, and possibly Crow considering the offer. True, he hadn’t voiced his desire to duel him yet, but Yusei could see it whenever his friend’s eyes lingered towards the deck box strapped to his belt.

He’d almost surprised himself when he realised the urge to challenge Atem himself had arisen, but then again…

He fought back the urge to draw his bottom lip between teeth as his thoughts slipped away with him like a shadow.

No, he’d certainly had other things in mind when it came to the pharaoh. He almost wanted to call the teen out for being a wonderful distraction, as he recalled their final words together in the past. Of course they still intended to duel each other one day; Yusei simply happened to find that life had prioritised other things about that promised event.

The memory of warmth tingled across his skin and he _did_ bite his bottom lip then, recalling the way those lips felt against his and fingers as they brushed along a waist, hitching at his shirt. He frowned to himself in a heartbeat, clenching eyes shut and forcing the images and sensations away for now; god above, how could he even be _thinking_ about that with the twins only a few steps away from him?

The riding duellist stifled the groan sitting on his tongue as the sound of voices caught his ear from outside, and he glanced over to the workshop’s open roller door. Bruno and Atem walked through, arms laden with a few shopping bags – though in Atem’s case, merely two in the one hand – and it brought the faint smile to his lips once more.

The timing of his appearance was either going to be a welcome distraction or a horrible curse that flared in the base of his spine. Yusei honestly couldn’t tell which yet.

Across the workshop, Rua gave a startled yell and hastily bunched his once neat piles of cards together in one giant mess. At his side, Ruka tried to calm down his panicked response, which, in turn, lead to half of them sliding to the floor in a brilliant cascade of cards. The harried whine fell past his lips as he tried to pick them up as quickly as he could without the pharaoh seeing what was printed upon them.

Atem glanced down towards his feet, seeing that one of the cards had slid clear through the air and to a stop a little ways towards him. He placed his armload of parts upon a nearby bench as Bruno began sorting through them, ready to be placed in their proper spots, and collected the card, blinking down at it in mild surprise.

Scapegoat stared back at him, and he fought back the wave of nostalgia the card gave him. To know that this card was still around in this era brought a warm feeling to his chest. If he ever returned to his own era, he would have to bring his best friend the good news.

He walked over to Rua and his sister, who was still collecting up the cards with the panicked boy; her arm reaching far under the couch. As he crouched on the floor next to him and held out the card, Rua froze, golden eyes the size of saucers as he stared at the magic card.

“Don’t forget this one,” Atem told him with a smile, and Rua could only take up the card in trembling fingers, as if he were being offered the winning lottery ticket created from spun gold.

“A-Ah, thank… thank you,” he stammered, still not staring up at the teen. Atem could only chuckle at the response, holding out a hand to the boy.

“So you know who I am, I take it,” he replied in amusement, feeling Rua gingerly take his hand, which he shook lightly. “I’ve heard a little about you two. You’re Rua, right?”

Golden eyes snapped up to crimson, utterly awed over the fact that one of his greatest idols knew who he was. The boy was about to reply when a startled gasp from his sister drew both sets of eyes to her. She’d finished collecting the cards that had slipped under the couch, but now they all spilled onto the floor once again as her eyes locked upon those of the pharaoh. She seemed utterly frozen in shock, almost bordering on fear, and Atem had to wonder if she were seeing him in the same light as her brother.

Honestly, he wasn’t that big of a deal. At least in his mind.

“It’s you…” she breathed, wringing hesitation within Atem at the tone of her words. “Your… your spirit is…”

She held his curious gaze for a moment longer before she seemed to break from her reverie, tearing her eyes away and realising where she was again.

“I-! I’m so sorry,” she began hurriedly, curled hands trembling at her chest. “It’s just that you feel… your _spirit_ feels… like it’s so divided.”

It was Atem’s turn to freeze at her words and he felt his breath lodge in his throat, crimson eyes widening in shock. Just what kind of things was this girl sensing about him? What had she seen in his eyes that could pull such a fierce reaction from her? The division of a spirit… Did she mean his separation from Yugi? The loss of the Millennium Puzzle? Or did she mean something else; something that none of them could see as yet? Clearly his appearance in this era was not without consequence, and his worry immediately centred on the friends he had left behind.

If anything had happened to them through the course of history due to his absence, he would never forgive himself.

He swallowed lightly, turning his gaze down to the cards scattered about the floor like his thoughts. “It’s alright,” he murmured quietly, trying to bring his thoughts back to the present; letting them run wild was becoming a dangerous habit. What else could he say to her? Quelling her apology to him was all that came to him; how on earth could he address the other worries that flared in his mind due to her words? Trying to shunt his now fresh worry to the side, he began helping the twins collect the fallen cards once more, placing each of them upon the nearby table.

As he stood, he held out a hand for Rua, helping him to his feet and smirking at the faintly excited whine that slipped from him. Given _that_ reaction, he was certain the boy wouldn’t want to wash his hand for a week, much to the chagrin of his sister. He offered his hand to her, and after a moment of hesitation and internal debate, she took it.

The swell of sensation between them was almost instantaneous, and she closed her eyes against the force of it. At the point of their joining, it was like staring into that surging pit within Old Momentum all over again; the warm light that surged between them was almost enough to blind her, even through closed eyes.

Fingers threaded away from hers, and she found herself staring at his hand from where she stood. True, there was that tingling surge of warmth, like the distant crackle of thunder on a summer’s night that still lingered, but it wasn’t enough to smother what else she felt beneath it all.

The remnants of his touch could only be described in the same way it felt when Kuribon brushed against her.

It was if he were a spirit, and nothing more.

Yet that initial touch…

Her fingers curled lightly upon themselves, fingertips rubbing lightly at the sensation that lingered there. She glanced up at him, noticing he was staring at her as if he’d seen a ghost, leaving her to blink at his lack of response.

“… what was that?” he breathed, almost not daring to put a voice to anything else. Golden eyes widened as she straightened slightly.

“You saw all that?” she replied in that same hushed tone.

“Saw what?” Rua piped up from beside them, having collected and straightened his deck once more. “The two of you have just been standing here spacing out for a minute.” Crimson eyes tore from the girl’s, staring in silent startle at the boy; was he really that oblivious to what had just happened? Hadn’t he seen… _any_ of that?

Across the workshop, Yusei flicked his gaze between the pharaoh and Ruka, his mind whipping into realisation. He hadn’t the slightest idea of what the two of them had seen, but it was certainly enough to unsettle them. His brow furrowed faintly as his thoughts continued to dive deeper into analysis; Ruka’s connection to the Spirit World had obviously triggered some sort of reaction within Atem. She’d already been able to sense his presence since his arrival here, not to mention her reaction as she first laid her eyes upon him. With Atem being the spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh, Yusei was very seriously considering the fact that the two of them had stumbled upon something when he’d helped her from the floor.

The thing was, even he wasn’t too sure what this newly discovered something was, and given Ruka’s reaction, he was almost hesitant to ask her to help further. He didn’t doubt her willingness to help out, not at all; only that for something of this magnitude, being in direct contact with him obviously wrought some drastic response between them, and he worried about her ability to fight through it at length.

“Rua,” he asked suddenly, causing the boy to glance over at him. “Would you like to help Bruno make some tea for us all?”

The boy gave him a thousand watt smile and a vague salute. “You got it!” he replied cheerfully, and began to help the taller man with his armful of stuff still waiting to be carried upstairs, chatting animatedly with him about the progress of the engine as they disappeared into the kitchen.

Atem felt a hand ball lightly at his side, utterly lost as to what had just happened. The girl obviously possessed some sort of power; something that had reacted violently to him. He glanced over to Yusei, worry all but swimming in crimson depths and the mechanic stepped towards him. Regardless of where they stood with each other, Yusei would never deny him comfort when he needed it the most.

A hand fell to his shoulder, squeezing lightly as he nodded at the teen. His eyes conveyed what little needed to be said: _are you alright?_ With a brief nod, the pharaoh drew the smile from within him, feeling that ripple of grounding run through him at the simple touch.

He would be fine. They would get through this. Answers would be found.

This was merely another step towards their goal of finding out simply why the pharaoh was here with them and little else.


End file.
